Letters from a Forgotten Friend
by avatar-chik
Summary: Gaara thought that he never had any friends. A small box full of letters he finds tell him otherwise. Who is this person and why can't he remember anything about her? GaaraxOC Story is better than the summary.
1. The Box of Mysteries

Chapter 1: The Box of Mysteries

The council of Sunagakure had finally decided who the knew Kazekage was going to be. To everyone's surprise, the Kazekage-to-be was Gaara. Even though Gaara wanted to be the Kazekage, he was a bit surprise himself. He thought that they would have at least waited until he was a bit older.

Gaara and his siblings were assigned to clean out the old Kazekage's office. They were shocked at how unkempt it was. Books and papers were piled everywhere. There were boxes lined up along the walls and some that were up on the top shelf. Scrolls were scatted all over the floor. Everything was covered with a layer of dust. It looked as if the room had been deserted for a while now.

"We had better get started," Temari sighed. She entered the room and picked up a few scrolls, tossing them into one of the empty boxes. Following Temari's lead, the two boys began cleaning up the room.

Gaara and Temari filled all the empty boxes with scrolls and stacks of papers. Kankurou was given the job of clearing off all of the shelves. Gaara was disgusted at how many papers there were. He knew that he was going to hate going through them all. Even after death, his father was torturing him.

About three hours into cleaning, they were clearing out the last few items.

"Hey Gaara," Kankurou called, taking the last box down from the top shelf. "This has your name on it, so you take it." Gaara looked at the box and sighed. He took the box from his older brother and set it down on the desk.

"What's in there?" Temari asked, looking at the small box. Gaara shrugged and began opening it. Inside were a few manila folders and a bunch of white envelopes that were bound together by a rubber band. There was a note taped to one of the manila folders. Gaara took it off of the folder and read it.

Kazekage,

I have been keeping these from Gaara.

They appear to be letters from the girl Gaara used to play with.

She moved away about a week ago.

Gaara was pretty upset, and I am afraid of what he might do if he got a hold of these.

I think we should keep these letters from him for the time being.

Yashamaru

Gaara's eyes widened after reading the note. Temari grabbed the note out of Gaara's hands, surprised that he didn't try to fight. She quickly read the note. She then looked at Gaara in concern. He looked confused and even a bit frustrated.

"Are you okay?" she asked, putting a gentle hand on her brothers shoulder. Gaara looked down at the ground, shaking his head.

"I don't remember having any friends," he told her softly. "I don't even know her name."

"Her name is Mouri, Akina," Kankurou stated from behind them. The two siblings looked him with awkward expressions. He smirked at them and held up one of the manila folders. "This says a little bit about her. She lived in Suna 6 years before moving. She didn't attend the ninja academy, at least not for very long. That's about all that's in here, except for a picture." Kankurou held up the picture for his siblings to see. Gaara stared at it without emotion.

Suddenly, Gaara felt intense pain in his head. Clutching his headin pain, he fell to his knees. Temari and Kankurou looked at their younger brother with worry written all over their faces.

"Are you okay Gaara?!" Temari asked, kneeling down beside her brother. Gaara looked away from her, groaning in pain. Images of the girl came flooding into his mind. He could hear the sound of her laughter.

_"Why is this happening to me?" _he asked himself. Everything around him seemed to stop as a memory of the girl came into focus.

_"Do you really have to leave?" 6 year old Gaara asked. Tears were beginning to fall down his cheeks. A girl with snow white hair went over to the boy and put an arm around him._

_"I'm sorry," the girl apologized. "I don't want to leave. I'd rather stay here with you." Gaara looked up at the girl and sniffled._

_"Does this mean that we can't be friends anymore?" the young boy asked, redirecting his gaze to the floor. The girl frowned at him._

_"Of course not!" she exclaimed. Gaara looked up at her with hopeful eyes. "No matter what happens, you will always be my friend."_

_"You promise?" he asked, unsure about whether or not he could trust her. Akina let go of Gaara and stood in front of him. She then pulled out a kunai. Gaara's eyes widened at the sight of it. They widened even more when she sliced it across the palm of her hand. "W-why did you do that?!" he asked in shock. Akina just smiled at him._

_"I swear on this wound that I will always be your friend." Gaara stood there biting his bottom lip._

_"You didn't have to hurt yourself to prove your point," Gaara told her softly. Akina smiled and giggled._

_"I know," she told him, "but this was an important matter to me." Gaara smiled and took Akina's bleeding hand. He held it tightly in his, partly because she was his friend, and partly because he wanted to stop the bleeding._

_"Yashamaru can fix your cut for you," Gaara told her. _

_"Would you come with me?" she asked. Gaara smiled and nodded. "Good, because I think I'm wearing him out with all the visits I give him." The two of them chuckled as they walked down the deserted streets._

"Gaara!" Gaara jerked his head towards his sister, breathing heavily. Temari sighed in relief. "Are you okay?" she asked him, putting the back of her hand on his forehead. Gaara brushed her hand away and nodded.

"I'm heading home," he told them, getting to his feet. He picked up the box that was on the desk and headed towards the door. His siblings watched him in concern, hoping that he would be alright.

* * *

_Hi all! So I came up with an idea for a new story and decided to roll with it. For those of you who are reading "Did You Wait for Me?", I am really sorry for the wait. I just can't seem to find a good ending. I wanted to get this out ASAP so I could get an idea of what others thought about this. Please review. If it's not worth continuing, I don't really want to waste my time. I'll take anything, flames include. Anyway, please tell me what you think. _


	2. September 10th

September 10th

Gaara-kun,

I can't believe it has already been a week since I've moved from Suna. It feels like it was just yesterday when we first became friends. I really hope that those kids won't start bothering you again. If they do, all you have to do is write to me. I will find a way over there and I will kick all of their butts. Well... maybe that's a bit over exaggerating, but you get my point. You shouldn't have to deal with everyone treating you the way they do. I bet that if they knew the real you, they wouldn't be putting you through all of this.

They should have been there the day that I hurt my knee really badly. It was a painful experience, but I can't help but smile about it every time I think about it. My knee started bleeding, and you freaked. The expression on your face was priceless, I have to admit. You made it look as if the end of the world was upon us. I don't know how I was able to calm you down, but I did.

What I remember most clearly was when you carried me home. I still can't believe you did that. I'm sure that any of the people that were watching us were thinking about how funny it looked. After all, I was and still am taller than you.

By the time I moved, you were used to me getting hurt. I was like a danger magnet. Even Yashamaru got used to seeing me. I guess it's something that couldn't be helped. I seem to be doing the same thing here. The only difference is that there's no one I really know to help me out when I hurt. Oh well. I think it has been making me stronger somehow.

I hope you are okay. I really miss you. I promise to write as soon as I can.

Your friend,

Mouri, Akina

P.S. I have been registered to start at the ninja academy at Konohagakure. I can't wait to start!


	3. You Knew Her?

Gaara sat on his bed, reading the letter with a blank expression on his face. He didn't really know what to think of this. He looked up at the door when he heard someone knock on the door. The door then opened and his older brother slipped in.

"You okay little bro?" he asked, looking at the red-head in concern. Gaara sighed and nodded.

"I don't know what to think," he told him softly. Kankurou sat down beside Gaara, sighing.

"Do you want me to go through those with you?" Gaara looked at his brother questioningly.

"Why would you want to help me?" Kankurou shrugged.

"I don't know. I remember a little about her, so I thought I could help you remember." Gaara's eyes widened in shock.

"You knew her?" Kankurou shook his head.

"Not really. I remember her being around you a lot." Gaara blinked and averted his eyes towards the ground in sadness. "I also remember her breaking my snake puppet for making you cry. I don't think she liked me very much." Gaara looked up at his brother and smirked at him, vaguely remembering the incident. He remembered the sound of wood splitting and the sound of wires snapping. He a young girl making Kankurou apologize for hurting his feelings.

"I think I want to do this alone," Gaara finally told him. Kankurou nodded in understanding and slowly got up.

"If you need anything, I'll be in my room making some adjustments to Karasu." Gaara nodded and Kankurou slowly left the room.

Gaara picked up another envelope and carefully opened it. There were two separate letters. Not wasting an time, he began reading.


	4. October 1st & 12th

October 1st

Gaara-kun,

I have started at the ninja academy in Konoha. I forgot to tell you what Konohagakure looks like. It is really different from Sunagakure. There are a lot more trees, not just in the village but in the whole country. The ninja's around here wear the leaf insignia on their headband instead of an i. The leader of this village is a lot older than the Kazekage, but he's really nice. The buildings have different shaped roofs too. The ones here have more of a point, whereas the ones in Suna are flat.

Why do I have to be so klutzy!? I miss having you around to help me get past that. Some of the kids have started teasing me. I may be klutzy and cheery most of the time, but I have feelings too. I'll just have to get back at them during shuriken training tomorrow. Hee-hee. I actually don't even need to aim at them. If I tried aiming at them, I would probably miss.

Except for my lack of skill at aiming, I am doing very well in school. I have been acing all of my tests and mastering all the techniques they have been teaching us. There is this boy in my class named Sasuke Uchiha. He's at the top of our class. If I wasn't such a dip-stick, I would probably surpass him. It's just when it comes to throwing kunais or shuriken.

Well, I have to go now. I hope that everything is going well with you.

Your friend,

Mouri, Akina

October 12th

Gaara-kun,

I ended up getting into a bunch of trouble at school. It wasn't completely my fault. If Sasuke would have just shut his mouth, I wouldn't have socked him. It was just like when Kankurou teased me about my hair when it got cut super short. I can take so much until I eventually snap. Sasuke seemed very shocked when I did this. Now he knows not to mess with me again. Hopefully, the other guys got the hint as well.

Someone actually praised me for punching Sasuke. His name is Uzumaki, Naruto. He's basically the class clown. He also doesn't really like Sasuke very much. I don't know why. They haven't talked to each other before, but they still hate each other. Anyway, I get along with Naruto. He doesn't have very many friends and he's always getting himself into trouble. Even so, I like him.

In some aspects, he reminds me of you. The only differences are in your appearances and how you interact with people. Naruto is very hyper, while you are more laid back. I think you would like him. After you get used to his constant babbling, he's really cool.

I might not be able to write for awhile, but don't worry. I'll to you again as soon as I can.

Your friend,

Mouri, Akina


	5. November 21st

_**DISCLAIMER: i forgot to do this at the beginning so i'm going to get this done and over with while i am thinking about it. I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! I do own Akina Mouri however. She is a character of my own creation Anyway... back to the story.**_

**Chapter 5**

_**Gaara's POV**_

I chuckled to myself at the thought of her socking Uchiha. It surprised me that a girl would sock him, of all people. From what I observed at the Chuunin exams, the girls found him quite desirable. I was happy that she socked him though. She got a chance to do what I didn't. I also like to see people trying to separate from the crowd. I see her as smart for not falling for that raven-haired pretty boy.

I sighed to myself, wishing I could remember the relationship we had when I was little. When I was younger, I used to imagine what it would be like if I had a friend. I would have never guessed that I actually did have a friend at one point in time.

I laid back on my bed and stared up at the ceiling with blank eyes. I let out another sigh, and closed my eyes. I had always been alone, and even to this day, I still feel alone. The Kazekage title is being handed to me, but only because I am their "ultimate weapon". They still fear me.

After a few minutes of recollecting myself, I opened my eyes and slowly sat up. I looked at the box and picked up another envelope. I don't know why I kept picking up envelope after envelope. I kind of knew that it was only going to end in disappointment. Still, I can't bring myself to stop. Part of me wants to remember whatever good that might have come from her. Like I have done my entire life, I was just going to have to bear through it.

* * *

_November 21st_

_Gaara-kun,_

_I am slowly going insane! I have been stuck in my bed for 3 days now. I am sick with the flu, so I have been ordered to stay in bed by my parents. They are always so strict. IT'S UNBEARABLE!!!! You probably know about my inability to stay in one place for very long. It's kind of like one of those Sasuke fan-girls having the inability of not screaming every time they see him. They have no self control, and I don't either._

_I hate being sick almost as much as I hate Sasuke. The reason I hate Sasuke more is because I can't be ridden of him. Well... now that I think of it, I could get rid of him. I would, but it's just too troublesome. I can dream though._

_Naruto stopped by after school to keep me company. He even brought me some hot ramen, and some for himself too. It was very nice of him, and it tasted very good. Naruto practically lives on the stuff. Even with as good as it tastes, I don't think I could eat it that much and not grow bored of it._

_Anyway, now that I have time on my hands, I am able to write. Hooray! Now I can tell you what has been happening, which really isn't a lot. These letters would be a lot longer if there were more things to talk about._

_My aim has gotten a lot better. Now, when I am for the target it almost hits! I'm so proud of myself. Maybe I'll be able to actually hit the target one day. I've been working really hard at it and practicing after school a lot. Naruto is a bit better than I am, but not by much. We stay after school and try to help each other. He showed me this great motivator. We pin up this drawing of Sasuke and try to hit it. Naruto really wants to beat Sasuke and become recognized by the entire village as something good. I don't want to beat Sasuke or anything. I just don't really like him. He's just such a fat headed, meanie-face. Maybe if he would just be nice for once, I wouldn't hate him so much. I just don't see that ever happening._

_I hope you are in good health. I'll write again soon._

_Your friend,_

_Mouri, Akina_


	6. December 4th

_December 4th_

_Gaara-kun,_

_I don't know if I hate Sasuke as much as I said I do anymore. I kind of found out why Sasuke is so bitter all of the time. Apparently, his whole clan was murdered and now he's the only one that's left. What's even worse is that they were murdered by his older brother. A lot of the other kids at school say that he has given himself up to revenge and that is why he is always so bitter._

_I understand that he must be really sad and all, but that doesn't give him any right to be mean to other people. He could do whatever he wants, as long as he leaves me out of it. I want nothing to do with him unless he intends on changing his ways._

_A lot of the girls reject and hate me. I think it's because I don't like the same kind of things that they do, like Sasuke for instance. I might care more if I weren't popular with a lot of the boys, or if I didn't have Naruto as a friend. There is this one girl that I was able to become friends with, or something of that sort._

_Her name is Hyuuga Hinata. She has these pretty periwinkle-blue eyes and has short, dark-blue hair. She has a really small frame, which matches her tiny voice. It's so tiny that you have to pay extra attention to what she is saying, that's if she is even saying anything at all. She's really shy and stutters a lot, which can sometimes get annoying. It doesn't matter. She's still my friend. Also because she is so shy, she makes a very good listener. I talk to her a lot about you and what my life was like when I lived in Sunagakure. _

_Anyway, that's all I can think about at the moment. I hope that everything is okay with you. I really wish Suna wasn't so far away. I really want to come and visit, or have you come and visit me. I haven't seen you in a long time, and I haven't heard from you either. I don't mind if you don't send back any responses, but it would sure be great to hear from you. Even if you don't respond, I will continue to send you letters._

_Always thinking about you._

_Your friend,  
__Mouri, Akina_

* * *

**Gaara's POV**

I put the letter down and sighed in frustration. It seemed like she really wanted to hear from me. I really wish that I could have written back. How could I have? I didn't even remember she existed until earlier today! I didn't even know that she had been writing to me all this time. I'm sure that she wouldn't believe me if I told her. I probably wouldn't even see her again anyway so it wouldn't matter. Still, I can't help but feel a little bad about it.

* * *

**_2 chapters in one day. Am I good, or am I good! All right, so I have decided to change the pattern a bit. Each chapter is going to consist of 1 or more letters and is going to be followed by the how Gaara's feelings torwards them. Basically, they are going to follow the format that you finished reading._**

**_I want to thank all my wonderful reviewers. I have a bonus chapter that I think you all might enjoy, but I'll only post it after I get 10 more reviews. I don't think it's that much to ask for. All people have to do is click the send a review button and then say if you liked it or didn't like it. If I get some good constructive criticism, I will make the bonus chapter that much more to your satisfaction._**

**_Just to be fare, I will give you a little hint about what the bonus chapter. The focus will temporarily be taken off of the letters and off of Gaara. Could it be about Akina? Hmmmm... If I get reviews, then you'll find out. lol. _**

**_Thanks for reading!_**


	7. Bonus Chap 1

"Can I come!?" Naruto begged, bouncing up and down next to Akina. "Please! I never get to go!" Akina put a couple changes of clothes in her duffel bag and looked at Naruto.

"I know you want to come," Akina began, "But I should just go alone." Naruto gave her puppy dog eyes and whined.

"Please! I've never been to Sunagakure before!" Akina sighed and put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. She looked at him with sorrowful eyes.

"Naruto, I really want to do this alone. You are needed back here in the village. Plus, I am going to be reuniting with an early childhood friend. Maybe next time alright?" Naruto sighed and nodded. He then looked up at Akina with a smirk.

"Who's the friend?" Akina smiled.

"His name is Sabaku no Gaara." Naruto's jaw dropped.

"You were friends with him?!" he asked in shock. Akina nodded.

"Over 6 years ago anyway. Even though I've been sending him letters all these years, I have a feeling he won't really remember me." Naruto frowned.

"I don't know what he was like back then, but he has really changed."

"I know," Akina sighed. "I saw him when he fought Sasuke during the Chunin Exam."

"You could tell just by looking at him?" Naruto asked curiously. Akina nodded again.

"His aura was a lot different, along with a lot of other things."

"What was he like back then?" Akina smiled, closing her eyes. She pictured Gaara in her mind, remembering when she first met him.

_Gaara sat on the ground, sitting up against the the wall of the school building. His knees were squeezed to his chest and his teddy bear was dangling from the arm that Gaara was holding on to. His face was buried in his knees as he softly cried to himself._

_"Why does everyone hate me?" he sobbed to himself. "What did I ever do?" _

_"Please don't cry," I small voice pleaded. Gaara jerked his head up at the voice and looked at the girl in front of him with tear filled eyes. "It's very depressing."_

_Gaara blinked at the girl. She was about his height, maybe taller. She had snow white hair that went down to her shoulders and beautiful emerald green eyes. He hadn't seen anyone like her around before. He was positive that he hadn't._

_The girl walked closer to Gaara and crouched down in front of him. She reached out and wiped his tears away with her thumb. Gaara sniffled and she smiled._

_"That's better," she said happily. "Crying over stuff like that is a waste of your energy. Now, instead of crying, why don't you tell me your name." Gaara blinked at her, shocked that she was even talking to him._

_"G-gaara," he stammered. The girl grinned and giggled.._

_"I like that name. I'm Mouri, Akina." Akina looked at Gaara sympathetically for a few seconds. "You look like you could use a hug." Before Gaara could respond, Akina had wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him close to her body. He was tense for a moment, but he quickly relaxed in her arms._

_"Better?" she asked after a few minutes. Gaara slowly nodded his head and Akina pulled away from him. Gaara looked up at her._

_"Thank you," he said softly. Akina smiled and nodded. Gaara smiled slightly, making Akina smile even more._

_"You have a really nice smile!" she chirped. "You should use it more often." Gaara chuckled and nodded._

_"I like your smile too," he told her nervously. She took his hand in hers and stood up, pulling him up along with her._

_"Don't forget your teddy bear," she told him, pointing at the stuffed animal next to him. Gaara gasped and snatched the bear up off of the ground. He looked back up at Akina sad eyes._

_"Why are you being so nice to me?" he asked, shuffling his feet in the sand. Akina frowned at him._

_"I have always liked you," she told him. "I just never had the courage to actually talk to you." Gaara blinked and smiled._

_"Does that mean... you want to become... friends?" Akina grinned._

_"Of course! That is, if you want to." Gaara nodded. "Great! Do you want to come with me to my house then?" Gaara nodded again. Akina held her hand out to Gaara. Gaara cautiously took it and walked down the street with her._

"Are you going to answer my question?" Naruto asked. Akina blinked and nodded.

"Sorry," she apologized. "I kind of spaced out. Gaara, he was really different. He was sweet and very shy. What I loved the most was his smile. It always made me even happier." Naruto raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Gaara used to smile?" Naruto asked curiously. Akina threw a pillow at him.

"Yes! Gaara used to be very different. I blame everyone who shunned him. I bet Yashamaru had something to do with it too. He seemed nice and would always clean my wounds for me. Still, I didn't really trust him. He had a bad aura around him whenever Gaara was around him." Naruto stared at her for awhile.

"Well, I hope you two have a good reunion," Naruto told her. "Can you do me a favor while you are there?"

"Sure!"

"Tell Gaara Naruto said hi." Akina grinned and nodded.

"Of course! Now, you want to head down to Ichiraku?" Naruto's face instantly lit up.

"Hell yeah!" The two of them left Akina's apartment, Akina locking the door behind them.

* * *

**_Hi all! So here's the bonus chapter! I hope that this clears up some things, like 'are they going to meet again?' Anyway, after discussing this with some people, I have come to the decision of not going with my new format. At least not for every chapter. I'm just going to let it take its course. I'm going to need all of your help though. Please be completely honest with me and let me know how you feel about the chapters. I have gotten some great reviews and I would like to thank everyone who reviewed._**

**_What About Today, NeferNeferi, Kina Lupi, ikka-bika-boo-, white moon dragon of light, moogle in paradaisu, and Dragon of Twilight. I want to thank all of these people. You are all great!_**

**_Please let me know how you like this chapter. If I get over 8 reviews, I will post another one. It will be like this one, focusing on Akina._**

**_Thanks again and please review. It really helps me out and lets me know where I should head with the story._**


	8. December 21st

December 21st

Gaara-kun

Naruto-kun got into a lot of trouble at school today. I tried to help him get out of it, but it was no use. He only had to stay after school, so it wasn't too bad. I still can't help but be nervous for him. I'm afraid that if he keeps fooling around, he's going to get into even more trouble. I really wish he would just be serious for once. He doesn't seem to realize that it isn't going to get him anywhere.

Your friend,

Mouri, Akina

P.S.

Hinata and I are having a sleepover at my house tonight. I will write to you again tomorrow to tell you about it. I'm really excited, since this is my first sleepover ever!

December 22nd

Gaara-kun,

I am so sleepy today. I had a lot of fun at my little sleepover. We had tea and some cookies that Hinata had made. They were very good. We also had some chips and so dango that I helped my mom make. Hinata and I stayed up most of the night talking. Actually…. I did most of the talking, since Hinata is so reserved.

One of the things we talked about were boys that we liked. I know that you could probably care less about something like this, but I don't care. I need to tell someone about it, and I can't breathe a word about this to Naruto. I promised Hinata that I wouldn't, so that leaves you as the only other person. I know you won't tell anyone about it, and you are my friend.

The boy Hinata has a crush on is Naruto, which is the reason I can't tell him anything. You should have seen how red her face was when she finally told me. It was almost as red as your hair. I don't know why she's so embarrassed about it. She going to be a kunoichi, but she's always so shy and bashful. I guess I can't harp on her too much because I kind of blushed as well.

The boy I have a crush on is actually you. I don't know any other guys, except Naruto. Even so, I don't click with Naruto the same way I do with you. You are my best friend, so I guess it's a bit rational. It might change someday, but for now, it's you.

I love you,

Mouri, Akina

Gaara could feel his face turning a beet red.

_"She had a crush on me,"_ Gaara told himself. He didn't really let emotions in, and if he did, it was usually hate. He was now feeling an emotion that he wasn't used to. It wasn't exactly happiness. He felt some sadness mixed in as well. There was a bit of guilt that he felt inside of him. He wished that he could remember her better than he did. He also wished that he had received this letters.

_"Why did they even have to hide this from me?" _Gaara wondered to himself.

* * *

**_Hi all! I am really sorry about not getting this up sooner. I had planned on getting several chapters up last Friday, but my home computer broke down. I was able to type this up at school, but I only had enough time to type up this little bit. Thanksgiving break starts today and I'm going over my grandparent's house tonight. I should be able to type some of this stuff up while I'm there, but I have to get some of my project done, since that is the whole reason I am going there._**

**_Anyway, please review! Once I fell that I have enough reviews, I'll put up another bonus chapter. So review. If you're going to read, you might as well tell me whether you liked it or not. Please Review! You don't know how much it means to me. :)_**

**_A wonderful thankyou to all of my reviewers. You all make me so happy!_**


	9. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

_January 19th_

_Gaara-kun,_

_HAPPY BIRTHDAY! You are finally 7 years old. Did you know that you are exactly 10 days older than I am? I sure hope that you are planning on doing something special today. I wish I could be there to celebrate with you, but you're so far away._

_You will never guess what I dreamt about last night. I smile about it every time I think about it. It is rather funny and sometimes I want to actually do this. Anyways, I dreamt of you and myself. I had returned to Suna, but only to kidnap you. I giggle about it every time. I ended up knocking you unconscious and dragging you here to live with me in Konoha. I wish you could live with me. Nobody will miss you as much as I do now._

_I have been staying after school a lot lately. Because of this, my aim is slowly getting better. I'm only just turning 7, so I don't really have to worry too much. I don't even think I can become a genin until I am at least 10. I'm not really sure._

_My mother is also helping me. She is a medical ninja, and when ever she is home she will help me train. The only thing is that she is hardly ever home. She is always at the hospital or something. Sometimes I will go to the hospital just to observe. When I grow up, I want to be a medical ninja just like her. I want to be able to help other people, as well as tend to my own injuries when I get hurt. After all, I get hurt quite a lot._

_I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT BIRTHDAY!_

_Your wonderful friend,_

_Mouri, Akina_

_**----------------**_

Gaara sighed and put the letter down. He had celebrated his birthday that year by killing another assassin that had been sent by his father. Every year his birthday came around, he'd try to spend it alone. He would regret ever being born, and sometimes he still does. He had always thought that no one ever wanted him alive, but it seems like he had thought wrong.

_**-------------------**_

_**February 4th**_

_Gaara-kun,_

_I had a nice, uneventful birthday. I didn't do anything special, sadly. I just had a nice, relaxing day. I hope you were able to have a nice birthday._

_My father and I haven't talked to each other for 3 days. We got in a big dispute. He doesn't like me writing all these letters to you. I could care less if he likes what I am doing. You are my best friend and I made a promise to you. If he doesn't like me writing so many letters to you, he should have never taken me away from you in the first place._

_I will never break my promise. I will not let him end our friendship._

_Gaara, no matter what happens, you can always trust me. If anything ever happens to you, try and find me. All you have to do is ask for my help and I will do anything I can to help._

_Your friend_

_Mouri, Akina_


	10. April 2nd

April 2nd

Gaara-kun,

I am really sorry that I haven't written in a while. My father has kind of cut me off from being able to contact you so I won't be able to write as much as I have been. My mom is able to sneak a letter past him every now and then, but not very often. The only good thing about this is that I now have a bunch of things that I can tell you about.

I HIT THE TARGET! And I wasn't aiming for Sasuke. I was aiming at the wooden dummy and I actually hit it. I am so proud of myself. Even my sensei was impressed by my improvement. I am sure that all of my shuriken will hit the target eventually. Ironically, when it comes to a moving target, I am very good. This is very surprising. More of my shuriken end up hitting it than when the target is at a standstill.

Naruto has been getting into trouble regularly now. I swear, he has the attention span of a gnat. Because of this, he's always getting into trouble during class. That and the fact that he has to be the class clown.

Naruto has also decided to make Sasuke his new rival. It is really annoying. He's always trying to outdo Sasuke, or to make Sasuke look like a fool. He fails miserably at both of these things and ends up looking like a fool himself. I try helping him with his techniques, but I can only do so much. He tries really hard and all, when he wants to. I just doesn't seem to come to him very easily either.

Over this time, I have also gotten to know Naruto a bit better. He apparently doesn't have any parents. He says that he never knew them. On top of that, all the villagers try to avoid him. That makes me feel even worse for him. He told me that I was the first person to even talk to him like he was a normal person. I am his first, and his only friend. He has acquaintances and all, but he still doesn't consider them to be real friends. I don't blame him.

I have also tried to ease my relationship with Sasuke. I sat with him on the pier that overlooks this small lake. He didn't object to me being there. In fact, neither of us said a single word. We didn't really need to I guess. We just sat there, chucking little pebbles into the water.

We're having our shuriken exams soon. It's only over the basics. We have to pass in order to be eligible to move on to learning the more difficult techniques. To be completely honest, I am very nervous about this. I think that even Naruto has a better chance at this than I do. All I can do is keep practicing and hope that it's enough to get me a passing grade.

I had another dream about you. I had it last night actually. This dream really baffled me. I didn't really know what to make of it.

In my dream, you were sitting on your roof like you normally do. The only difference was that it was raining. This was rather odd since it hardly ever rains. Anyway, you were looking up at the sky, letting the rain hit your face. That made it look like you were crying. I ended up waking up early in the morning from it, and I couldn't go back to sleep. It was really weird because it was raining outside at the time. I think that it is just my heart yearning to see you again.

Your Friend,

Mouri, Akina

* * *


	11. I Saw You

**_Hi! I don't know what month the Chuunin exams really take place so just bare with me. I hope you all enjoy this chapter._**

**_

* * *

_**

_June 4th_

_6 years after leaving Suna_

_Gaara-kun,_

_I am 12 years old now, and a lot has changed since the last time I wrote to you. I have so much to tell you about. First, no I didn't forget about you while I was training. I actually thought about you every night. I just never had the time to actually sit down and write to you. It was a lot harder and more involved than I thought it was going to be. I was also gone longer than I expected to be. The only reasons I came back to the village were to first take my genin exam, and then my chuunin exam. I became a chuunin at the age of 10, which is one year ahead of my mother. She was very proud of me. I was very excited as well._

_After I became a genin, my mother received permission from the 3rd hokage, allowing me to continue training under my mother to become a medical ninja. I didn't actually begin to stay in the village until after I became a chuunin. My mother thought that I was far enough along, so I ended up staying. She also wanted me to learn how to work with my teammates. The only time I had actually worked with a team was during the chuunin exams._

_I never did receive a permanent team. Since I was one of the only medical ninja that was qualified to go out on the field, he just put me on which ever squad would end up needing it the most. It was a great opportunity because I even got to work with Jounin, which you should know is the highest rank of ninja._

_Oh! I just realized that your 12 too. Ha-ha-ha. It's so unbelievable. It's so weird. I also haven't seen you in over 6 years! My goodness, time flies! I have been having a lot of dreams about you, and have been for the longest time. A lot of them are of the memories I have of you, and some of the others are things that I don't think have ever happened._

_I remember writing to you about how much of a klutz I am and how bad my aim was. Well, not anymore! I mean, I'm still a bit of a klutz. When I'm on a mission, I am extremely agile and graceful. When I'm just walking around and just doing my normal things, something usually ends up going wrong. I think it's because I don't pay as much attention to what I am doing as I would if I were on a mission._

_Naruto was super glad to see me and even more glad to find out that I was actually staying. Good news with him is that he is a genin. Bad news is that he is extremely clueless when it comes to the tactical parts of being a ninja. He's also always talking about how he wants to become the greatest Hokage that has ever existed in our village. I think he could do it if he would just focus more and stop trying to impress everyone. He also needs to stop getting into trouble._

_Hinata is as shy as ever. I swear, she barely changed a bit. She even has the same crush for Naruto as she did before I left. She gets so nervous around him. I have even seen her faint when he comes to close to her. It's absolutely hilarious._

_All that happened a couple of months ago. I need to talk to you about something a little more serious._

_I'm sure you know what happened about a week ago. It was the last round of the Chuunin exams and it was also when our village was attacked. I can't say much about what happened in the attack, and that's not what I wanted to write to you about anyway._

_I saw you at the exam. As soon as I saw you, I could immediately tell that you weren't who you were 6 years ago. I expected you to change a little, but I didn't expect you to change to that much of a degree. Even though you were kind of far away, I could still see the sadness and the loneliness that was in your eyes. What happened to you Gaara?_

_With all of that aside, I was still extremely happy to see you again, even though you probably didn't even know that I was there watching you. During your battle, I was secretly hoping that you would win. I didn't just hope that out of my hate for Sasuke, but out of my friendship towards you. When I saw you get hurt, I was extremely upset. You have no idea how worried I got._

_That is all I am going to say about that. I really do hope that you are okay. If you aren't, I will gladly beat Sasuke into a bloody pulp._

_Naruto told me about how he battled with you. He knew that you and I knew each other. He told me just about everything._

_I'm really sorry about everything that has happened to you. I wonder if any of that would have happened if I would have never left. I hope that all your wounds heal and I hope that you can find the good in yourself that I know is still there._

_Mouri, Akina_

_P.S._

_Remember the promise I made to you? It still mean every word I said. I could care less what you have become and I could care less if you don't like me anymore. I will always consider you to be one of my friends. I will always love you, just as I did back then._

_

* * *

_

It was past midnight. Gaara would usually be sitting out on the roof at this time, but he didn't feel like it. Instead, he was laying on his bed, looking up at the ceiling in deep thought. He had felt more emotions in the past 12 hours than he did in his entire life. He wished that there was more from her, but there wasn't.

_"What do I do now?" _Gaara wondered to himself. Even though the letter had said that she would always accept him, Gaara wasn't so sure about that. He was certain that she wouldn't feel that way once she found out that he didn't even remember who she was.

Gaara laid there for a few more hours before finally sitting up. He sighed to himself and got up off of his bed. He walked over to his desk drawer and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. He sat down in the chair and began to write.

* * *

January 19th

Akina-chan,

This is kind of hard for me to do, but it's something that I feel needs to be done.

Today I was cleaning out my father's old office, and Kankurou came across a small box that had my name written on it. When we opened it up, we found all the letters that you have ever written to me. In other words, today was the first day I had ever seen them.

The saddest part is that I couldn't really remember anything about you. For 6 years, I was oblivious to your existence. A lot of things happened to me, that you don't know about. I really wish I could remember more than I do, but I can't.

Thank you for all of the times that you believed in me.

Sincerely,

Sabaku no Gaara

* * *

**Well? What did you all think? Let me know.**


	12. And We all Fall Down

****

THE NEXT DAY

Gaara entered his father's old office and found his siblings there, finishing up with the packing. Both of the turned around and looked at their brother with concern filled eyes.

"Are you okay Gaara?" Temari asked, "We didn't see you at all yesterday." Gaara just nodded.

"Is that a letter from Akina?" Kankurou asked, noticing the envelope that was in Gaara's hand. The jinchuuriki shook his head.

"I need a stamp," he told them softly. Kankurou smiled at his brother and nodded.

"I saw some earlier. I think I put them in this box." He went over to one of the smaller boxes and started to dig through it. A few minutes later, he pulled out a sheet of stamps and handed them to Gaara. Gaara thanked him and left the room.

Gaara slowly made his way down the Administration Building hallway. While he walked, he fingered at the envelope. He was a bit nervous about sending, since he never wrote a letter to anyone before. Because of all this, he wasn't really paying attention to where he was going.

As he rounded the corner….. _CRASH!!_ Gaara fell to the ground dropping the letter and stamps. Around him, papers were flying everywhere. He looked up and saw another person, most likely a female, on the floor as well, with a box on her head. Gaara smirked at the sight for a moment before getting to his feet and going over to the person he had knocked over. He took her by the arm and pulled her up, apologizing all the while.

"It's okay," the girl chuckled from inside the box. "I'm a bit of a dip-stick. I wasn't really paying attention to what I was doing either." Gaara raised an eyebrow at her, thinking she was a bit awkward.

"Do you need some help taking that off?" he asked, amusement in his voice. He didn't wait for her to answer. He lifted the box off of her head by one of the corners and lifted it off of her, letting it drop behind her. Gaara's eyes widened when he saw who it was. The girl's eyes grew even wider and were filled with excitement.

"Gaara-kun?" she whispered, looking at him questioningly. Gaara slowly nodded.

"Akina-chan?" the girl nodded her head. The two of them just stared at each other in silence.

After about five minutes of silence, Akina threw her arms around a shocked Gaara. She buried her face into his chest and cried in happiness. Gaara, hesitant at first, wrapped his arms around her in the same fashion. Akina looked up at him with tear-filled eyes and smiled.

"I missed you so much," she whispered.

* * *

**_That was a bit of a short chapter, but i really need to get off the computer for a while. I have posted tons of chapters, and at least I left off at a good spot. Don't worry all. There will be more to come soon. PLEASE REVIEW! After all I have done, I deserve some feedback, especially now that my hands are killing me from all this typing._**

**_Happy Thanksgiving to all. Have a safe holiday._**


	13. Disappointment

Temari and Kankurou came out of the old office, finding some girl embracing their younger brother. Both of them were completely shocked. Gaara never let anyone that close to him before, without killing them.

Kankurou looked closer at the girl, his eyes widening. A smirk slowly stretched across his face. He grabbed his older sister and pulled her back into the office. She glared at him, but her expression changed when she noticed the smirk on his face.

"What's up with you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I think that girl is Mouri, Akina," he told her, the smirk not leaving his face. Temari gave him a surprised look.

"Are you sure? It's been over 6 years. Do you really think she would come back after all that time?" Kankurou shrugged.

"I'm not sure," he replied with a sigh, "But from what I could see, it looked like her."

* * *

Gaara slowly pulled away from the girl. Akina let go of him and looked up at him with a smile. Gaara looked back down at her, his eyes filled with sadness. Before he could say anything, Akina was down on the ground and picking up all the papers. Gaara sighed to himself and began helping her. He neatly stacked the papers and put them back into the box. 

"Is this yours?" she asked, holding up an envelope and a sheet of stamps. Gaara's eyes widened and he quickly nodded. He looked at it for a moment.

"It's for you," he told her quietly. Akina gave him a confused look, and then proceeded in opening the envelope. She took out the letter and quickly read it. When she finished, she looked back up at Gaara with sad eyes. Gaara looked away from her, averting his eyes towards the ground.

"You don't remember anything?" she asked. Gaara slowly and sadly nodded.

"The only thing I can remember is the night before you left. You cut your hand open, swearing that you wouldn't forget me. Even that memory is a bit fuzzy."

"And you never got any of the letters that I sent you?" Gaara shook is head.

"Not until last night." Akina sighed and bit her bottom lip.

After a few moments of thinking, she picked up the box of documents she had been carrying.

"I have to drop these of down the hall to the council," she told him. "When I'm done with that, I'm probably going to go back to my hotel room and rest for awhile. It was a long journey from Konoha." Gaara frowned and nodded. He hadn't really expected her to remain his friend.

"Where are you going to be?" she asked before taking her leave. Gaara jerked his head up and looked at her in surprise.

"Around here I guess," he answered with uncertainty. Akina nodded and smiled.

Gaara watched Akina as she walked down the hallway. He sighed and exited the building. He walked down the street, heading back to his home.

_"What else could I expect," _he told himself silently. _"I don't remember anything about her, we haven't seen each other in over 6 years, and I'm no where close to being the same as I was all those years ago. I don't blame her for not liking me anymore."_

* * *

**LATER THAT NIGHT**

Akina was lying on her bed, staring up at the dark ceiling. She had so much running through her head. The main thing that she couldn't stop thinking about was, of course, Gaara.

She had seen him at the chuunin exams, but she was up in the stands. It was very different seeing him face to face again. Like she had expected, Gaara was definitely different. He was a lot more different than she expected. He didn't remember anything about their relationship. In fact, he didn't even know that she existed until he had found that box filled with her letters.

Akina sighed and rolled onto her side. She wasn't really sure of what to do. Gaara kind of gave her the impression that he didn't want to be friends anymore. Personally, she didn't want it to end that way. She didn't really care that he couldn't remember anything. They weren't that important. Their friendship is what was important.

_"I'll talk to him again tomorrow,"_ she told herself. With that, she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

**_Well, here's the next chapter. I hope that you like it. Please review and tell me what you think. I will hopefully update again soon. Thanks again to all my wonderful reviewers who I can't thank enough._**


	14. we need to talk gaara

**THE NEXT DAY**

It was almost noon and the day was warming up rather quickly. Gaara was walking home, just having finished training with his two older siblings.

He wasn't really paying attention to everything that was going on around him. His mind was focused on other things. He was primarily focused on getting home, but there was something in the back of his mind that he couldn't stop thinking about. Akina.

Just then, he felt someone grab him by the arm, making him come to a sudden stop. Gaara turned around and was surprised to see that it was Akina. Her face had a serious expression on it, making Gaara feel as if something was wrong.

"We really need to talk," she told him quietly, looking at him with her glistening green eyes. Inside, Gaara was going through complete turmoil. He was confused about everything that was going on. On the outside, though, he was calm and emotionless. He just slowly nodded his head. "Is there a place we can talk in private?" she asked. Gaara thought a moment and nodded.

"We can go to my place," he told her softly. Akina nodded and followed Gaara to his house.

Akina followed Gaara into his bedroom. Gaara shut the door behind them and turned to face the white haired girl.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked. Akina could see the sadness and loneliness in his eyes. She sighed and looked down at the ground.

"I wanted to see how you were doing," she told him, shuffling her feet as she spoke. Gaara raised an eyebrow.

"Why would you do that?" he asked, a little confused. Akina looked up at him and smiled.

"We're friends." Gaara blinked in surprise at her response.

"But…."

"I don't care if you remember anything or not. I remember, and there is no way that I am going to lose a good friend for a stupid reason like that. If you want, I can try and help you remember. If that doesn't work, we can just start a clean slate." Gaara stared at her for a moment, seeing that she was completely serious.

After a few minutes, he finally nodded. Akina grinned and took a folded piece of paper out of her pouch.

"Maybe this will help you remember," she told him, handing him the paper. Gaara carefully unfolded the paper and saw that it was a drawing. He looked at Akina raising an eyebrow.

"A drawing?" he asked. Akina nodded.

"Not just a drawing. It's a drawing you made for me!" Gaara looked back down at the picture, taking in all the details. It was an attempt to draw he and Akina. The two of them were holding hands and smiling.

Slowly, different images began to flow through his memory.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

_6-year-old Gaara was sitting at the kitchen table, happily coloring away. His facial expression showed that he was deeply concentrated on the picture he was working on. He was coloring Akina's hair, making it a silver color since white wouldn't show up on the paper and her didn't want her to go bald. He just used his silver crayon, and colored very lightly._

"_What are you doing Gaara?" Yashamaru asked sweetly. Gaara looked up from his coloring and saw his uncle standing over him._

"_I'm coloring a picture for my friend," Gaara told him happily, a smile on his face. Yashamaru smiled and chuckled._

"_Would this friend be Akina?" Gaara nodded and held the picture up for him to see._

"_Do you think she would like it?" he asked._

"_I don't see why she wouldn't, but I thought Akina had white hair." Gaara frowned._

"_White doesn't show up on the paper," he grumbled. Yashamaru chuckled again and nodded._

"_I guess your right! You improvised very well though." Gaara smiled proudly and looked back up at his uncle._

"_I'm going to go give this o her," he told her. Yashamaru nodded. Gaara hopped down from his chair and ran out the front door with a grin on his face._

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX_

Gaara smiled, which earned a grin from Akina too.

"You remember?" she asked hopefully.

"I remember drawing the picture for you," he answered softly. Gaara then folded up the paper neatly and handed it back to Akina. She took it from him and put it back into her little pouch. She looked back up at him and smiled.

The two of them stood there in the uncomfortable silence, until Gaara finally broke it.

"Is there anything else you wanted?" he asked.

"I don't know. Do you want to go out and do something?" Gaara shrugged.

"Like what?" Akina smirked, thinking of the perfect activity.

"Let's go swimming." Gaara's eyes widened for a moment before he averted them to the ground.

"I...kind of don't know how to swim." Akina chuckled.

"I know that," she told him. "I was going to teach you, but then I had to leave and I never got to. Let's do it now!"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

_**To be continued...**_

_**"No walking on top of the water!" Akina scolded, reading Gaara's mind before he even entered the water. Akina stood by his side and put a hand on his shoulder. "Just trust me okay. You'll be fine. I wouldn't let anything happen to you." Gaara sighed and nodded.**_

_**He took a few steps into the clear lake, the water quickly rising to his chest. He took another step and suddenly submerged. He didn't expect the ground to suddenly dip like that. The surface looked so far away, and no matter how hard he kicked or thrashed away at the water, he never got any closer. Where was Akina!**_

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

**Mwaa hahaha! I'm so mean to make you wait at a moment like this! I love leaving cliff hangers. Maybe I should make Gaara drown... but then there would be no more story. So I guess I won't do that. I have one request to make some future romance. What do you guys think? Review and let me know! Should they just be friends, or something more? REVIEW!!**


	15. Swimming Lessons

Akina and Gaara walked for about 15 minutes until they came to a small lake. They two of them stared out at the glittering surface of the clear water. Trees surrounded the lake, adding to the peacefulness of everything. Akina then turned to Gaara.

"You might as well strip down to your trunks," she told him with a smirk. "You can't swim in those, unless you want to drown." Gaara rolled his eyes at her and took his gourd off, setting it up against one of the nearby trees. He turned away from Akina and started stripping down into his swim trunks. When he turned back around, Akina had already stripped down into her bathing suit and was waiting for him. His cheeks turned a slight shade of red when he saw her, but it quickly disappeared.

Akina was wearing a black tankini that showed off her strong, slender form. It greatly contrasted with her snow white hair and emerald eyes, but at the same time, it added so much.

Akina strode over to him and grabbed him by the wrist, dragging him over to the edge of the lake.

"You go in first," she told him, giving him an encouraging knudge. Gaara smirked, giving a hint to Akina about what he was planning on doing. "And no walking on top of the water. That's cheating." Gaara sighed and turned to face her, looking into her eyes with uncertainty.

"You know I can't swim," he told her softly. She smiled at him and put a gentle hand on his bare shoulder.

"Don't worry," she told him encouragingly. "I'll be right behind you. I won't let anything bad happen to you. All you have to do is wade out until the water gets too high for you." Gaara let out a deep breath and nodded. He slowly walked out into the lake, the water growing deeper and deeper with each step until it was up to his chest. He took one more step and he suddenly submerged. He hadn't expected the ground to suddenly disappear from under him. He had taken in some water from being surprised like that earlier. He attempted to resurface, but his attempts were futile.

Momentes later, he felt Akina grab him under his arms. With a few kicks, the two of them resurfaced. Gaara immediately began coughing up the water he had accidently inhaled while Akina swam them to shallower waters.

"Where were you?" he wheezed.

"I thought that you would have resurfaced yourself," she told him. "When you go under water, your supposed to kick and that will make you resurface."

"Can we go now?" he asked, not really wanting to stay any longer. Akina shook her head.

"Not until you learn at least one thing," she told him, smiling at him sweetly. Gaara sighed.

"Fine, but you aren't to mention me almost drowning to anyone." Akina laughed and nodded.

"Lay back." Gaara gave her a strange look. "Just trust me and lay back." She took him by his upper arm and pushed him backwards. She put her other hand on beneath his back to keep him from sinking and let him float on top of the water. Gaara looked up at her with his unfeeling eyes.

"You have to relax," she explained. "If you stay all tensed up, then you'll just sink. I sometimes think it helps to think about being very light. Anyway, the goal is to keep a float. Gaara nodded and closed his eyes. He took in deep relaxing breath, not really concentrating on anything in particular. He naturally started moving his arms at his side. He

didn't even notice when Akina slowly pulled her hand away and slowly moved away from him.

Gaara soon opened his eyes and was startled to see that Akina wasn't at his side. He immediately started sinking, and stood up before completely submerging.

"You were doing so good!" Akina complimented, throwing her arms arond his neck. Gaara stood there in shock, a little bit uncomfortable about the close contact she was giving him. A few minutes later, she released her grip on him and backed away. "Are you done for today?" Gaara nodded and headed to shore, Akina following close behind him.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

The two teenagers laid out on their towels, letting the warm sun dry them off. Gaara smirked to himself as he listened to Akina talk about her friends in Konoha and about Naruto. He personally loved listening to her talk. It had a warm tone to it and just comforted him. He felt a small bond between them and wanted to believe that he could always count on her. If she had waited all these years for him, what wasn't there for him to trust about her.

"Why did you come back?" Gaara asked suddenly. Akina looked into his emotionless sea green eyes.

"I was sent to Suna on a mission," she told him. "I'm here to help update Suna's medical division, so I'll be here for awhile. I kind of thought that if I was here, I would be able to find you." Gaara simply nodded and sat up.

"How are your relations with Sasuke going?" he asked with a smirk on his face. Akina narrowed her eyes at him and grinned evily.

"It's not going so well. He's errogant and cocky and thinks he's better than everyone else."

"Isn't that the same as being cocky?" Akina shrugged.

"I guess so, but still. I kind of took it upon myself to mess with him everytime I got. How are your siblings?" Gaara shrugged.

"Okay I guess. Kankurou is a cocky puppet user and Temari is still the headstrong female."

"So I guess she's still beating all the boys up." Gaara smirked and nodded. He then stood up, offering his hand to Akina. The white-haired girl took it greatfully and Gaara pulled her to her feet.

"You ready to head back to the village?" he asked.

"That depends," she told him, smirking playfully. "Will you watch the sunset with me?" Gaara raised an eyebrow, but saw that she was serious.

"Why do you want to do that?" he asked, slightly curious.

"You and I used to do that all the time. I just thought that we could do it again." Gaara looked into her emerald green eyes a few minutes longer before he nodded. "Then yes, I'm ready to go."

The two of them walked silently next to each other down the dirt path. About 5 minutes into the walk, Gaara felt Akina wrap her fingers around his hand. Gaara was shocked for a couple seconds but quickly got over it. He gently squeezed her hand back.


	16. A Mission

**LATER THE NEXT DAY**

Gaara was packing his knapsack for his mission, millions of thoughts running through his head. He couldn't believe that he would be going on a mission with his brother and Akina. He could see himself going on a mission with his brother, but he didn't think he would be going on a mission with Akina. It seemed a little odd to him that the council what suddenly put her on a mission, especially when they weren't from the same village.

He heard someone knock on his door, followed by the sound of his brother.

"Ready to go little bro.?" Gaara sighed and closed his bag. He opened the door and walked out to see his brother standing there, smiling at him.

"Let's get this over with," Gaara grumbled. Kankurou smirked at him and led the way out of their home.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Gaara walked in between Akina and Kankurou, a scowl on his face as they walked through the rain. Gaara and Kankurou were wearing what they normally wore. Akina wore her normal pitch black ensemble, but had a blood red sash tied around her waist. The two of them were curious as to why that was the only color change. She just smirked at them and told them that they don't want to know.

"What's wrong with you Gaara?" Akina asked playfully. Gaara looked at her for a moment and averted his eyes straight ahead. She looked at Kankurou, who was smirking at his brother. "What is up with Gaara?" Kankurou slowed his pace, taking Akina by the arm and slowing her down as well.

"Gaara is just upset because it's raining," Kankurou told her softly.

"Why doesn't Gaara like the rain? I think it's wonderful." Kankurou chuckled.

"Gaara is at his weakest point when he's wet. His sand won't protect him, so he pretty much defeseless in the rain." Akina widened her eyes and smiled. She quickened her pace, catching up with Gaara.

"Don't worry Gaara," she told him happily. "I'll protect you." Gaara glared at her, and then at his brother for telling her in the first place. Kankurou smirked and shrugged his shoulders. Gaara sighed and focused on the mission that they had to complete.

The trio walked along the forest path for about an hour. Then the rain really started pouring down.

"I bet you're really angry now, huh Gaara-kun," Akina giggled. Gaara was about to reply when he felt a stinging sensation in his neck. Gaara just stopped walking as the world around him began to spin uncontrolably. Groaning, he fell to his knees, clasping his head in his hands.

"Gaara are you... Kankurou, watch out! It's an ambush!"

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	17. Interrogation

**_Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers. Special thanks to Love-Hidden-Under-Blood who voted for whether I should add some romance into Akina and Gaara's relationship. I encourage everyone else to do the same._**

**_Thanks to all the people who have reviewed for the last couple of chapters.  
What About Today, NeferNeferi, bunbun, white moon dragon of light, Love-Hidden-Under-Blood, ikka-bikka-boo, and my newest reviewer flower391169.  
I am completely grateful to all of you guys._**

**_Keep reviewing and I'll Keep Writing:)_**

* * *

Kankurou was kneeling on the ground, being held down by two rain ninja and his left arm strapped down to a table. Are large bodied man was standing over him with a large mallet in his hand. Kankurou's right arm dangled down at his side, blood dripping to the floor. Kankurou's face glistened with sweat as he tried to over come the pain His body was trembling involuntarily, making him feel like he was showing a weakness.

"You can't control puppets without your arms," one of the rain ninja jeered. Kankurou glared at him in anger. The man knelt down and met Kankurou's anger filled eyes. "We'll let you go. All you have to do is tell us where our comrade is being held prisoner."

"You're not getting anything from me!" he spat. The rain ninja just frowned and stood up. He nodded at the man with the mallet and proceeded in leaving the tent. Kankurou bowed his head and bit his bottom lip, bracing himself for the pain. Surprisingly enough, it never came. He heard the mallet hit the table next to his arm and felt the grip of the two rain ninja disappear. Kankurou lifted his head to find the rain ninja all lying on the floor and Akina rushing to his side.

"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed, seeing Kankurou's arm. "Hold on, let me undo this strap!" She went over to the table and undid the strap that was pinning his arm to the table. Kankurou slid to the ground, holding his injured limb with his good arm. "Try to move it as little as possible. I got rid of most of the people in the camp, but we need to get out ASAP. We don't know if there are more people stationed nearby. Kankurou looked up at Akina's face, seeing that she had a bloody lip.

"Are you okay?" he grunted. Akina nodded. "Where's Gaara?" he asked. Akina took off the red sash that was tied around her waist and gently took hold of Kankurou's arm. Kankurou winced in pain, but allowed her to quickly wrap the cloth around his arm.

"He's in the next tent," she told him, getting to her feet and pulling Kankurou up by his good arm. "You can still walk right?" Kankurou nodded.

"I think I can manage," he grumbled.

"Good. Let's grab Gaara and get the hell out of here." Kankurou nodded and followed her out of the tent.

* * *

**_Oh no! I do fell bad for Kankurou. That must really hurt. Anyway, tell me what you thought about the chapter._**

**_Romance...Yay or Nay? You decide. Please review to submit your answer. So far I have 1 yes, for sometime in the future. I'd like to get opinions from at least 10 more people._**


	18. Drugged

Gaara sat with his back against a thick pole of the tent, his arms tied behind him and to the pole. His head drooped forward and his sea green eyes were glazed over. He had bruises all over his arms and chest. Blood was trickling down from the corners of his mouth and splattered in little droplets on the ground.

"The little brat isn't so tough," the shorter of the rain ninja boasted. "I was actually a bit disappointed. The girl put up more of a fight than he did." The other ninja hit him in the back of the head and narrowed his eyes at him.

"Baka!" he snapped. "He was drugged! If he wouldn't of been drugged, we would probably be dead by now!"

"Naw," the short ninja said with a smirk. "His sand doesn't work in the rain. Water makes it to heavy. The little brat isn't as dangerous without his sand. We really didn't need to use as much as we did on him." Before the other ninja could reply, he felt a stinging sensation in the back of his neck. Seconds later, he was face flat on the ground. The shorter rain ninja shared the same fate.

Gaara looked at the rain ninja layying on the ground with unfocused eyes. His thoughts were swimming through his mind and he was unable to get a clear grip on any of them. He was semi-aware of everything that was going on. Some things were sticking, but it was too hazy to piece together.

He lazily looked up as two new figures approached him.

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Akina and Kankurou looked at the sickly looking red-head. Kankurou frowned at his younger brother's condition, completely forgetting about his own.

"What's wrong with him?" Kankurou asked softly. Akina frowned and knelt down in front of him. Gaara looked up at her blankly.

"Gaara, do you remember who I am?" she asked, staring into his glassy eyes. Gaara closed them, drooping his head forward and groaning.

"Can't..." he mumbled, not able to finish what he was trying to say. Akina sighed and looked over her shoulder at Kankurou.

"Well?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He should be fine," she told him, her voice flat and plain. She looked back over at Gaara, who hadn't moved and inch. "Kankurou, we'll keep heading towards the final destination and make camp once we're far enough away from here. Then I can examine you guys better. Right now, I don't have enough time to do anything. Do you know where both of your weapons are?" Kankurou nodded. "Go and get them. We can't leave anything behind for them to analyze." Kankurou left the tent.

Akina got up and untied Gaara's wrists. The red-head slumped forward, Akina kept him from falling foward all the way. She took her index and middle finger and put them on Gaara's neck, feeling for his pulse. She found it, and as she had thought, it was slower than it should have been.

_"They probably used so type of drug to keep him under control," _she thought to herself.

"Akina, here's his gourd." Kankurou set Gaara's weapon down beside them. Akina shifted it a bit and strapped it to Gaara.

"Is that okay?" she asked, while pulling him to his feet. Gaara nodded slightly. Akina put his arm over her shoulders and looked at Kankurou.

"You ready?" she asked. He smirked at her and nodded. "Then let's get out of here."

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_**I was so happy to see all the reviews that I had and felt that I should post the next chapter up, since the last one was kind of short. This one is too, but at least i posted 2 in 1 day. **_

_**As for the romance question, I have gotten 5 yays, and no nays! Yay!!!! I would like to receive 5 more responses, so all of you who read and can type, send in your vote! I'd like to thank the people below for voting.**_

_**ph34r-t3h-cu7n355  
dani**_

_**ChristinaAngel**_

_**What About Today**_

_**Love-Hidden-Under-Blood**_

_**Thanks a bunch!**_


	19. The Healer and a Memory

Akina carefully laid Gaara down on the cave floor, laying him down on his side so she wouldn't have to fiddle around with taking his gourd off. She then turned towards Kankurou and slowly walked towards him.

"Let me take a look at your arm," she told him, reaching out to him. Kankurou looked down at his younger brother with worry in his eyes.

"What about Gaara?" he asked softly.

"Gaara is going to be fine. I'm more worried about you. Gaara will need to be constantly looked after. I need to get your injuries taken care of so I can give Gaara whatever attention he needs." Kankurou closed his eyes and took a seat on the floor. Akina sat down next to him and had him lay down. She then unwrapped her sash from his injured arm, Kankurou biting his bottom lip in pain as she did so.

Kankurou's eyes widened in horror when he saw his bloody arm. He hadn't thought that it was that bad at the time. The flesh was torn in some places and his arm laid on the ground abnormally.

"It looks really bad, but it's nothing that can't be fixed," she told him in a comforting voice, giving him a reassuring smile. Kankurou took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled before nodding at her words.

Akina made a few hand signs.

_"Healing palm jutsu!" _she barked in her mind.

She gently rested her hands on top of Kankurou's injured arm, focusing all of her chakra into her hands. Seconds later, her hands began to glow green. Kankurou cringed as he felt a stinging sensation in his arm.

"Just relax Kankurou," she told him, not taking her eyes off of the task at hand. "Take deep breaths and try not to move."

After about an hour, Akina slowly took her hands away. It still wasn't fully healed, but it was in much better condition than before. What had been many fractures was now reduced to giant bruises that covered his arm. It still hurt when he would try to move, but he knew that it wouldn't do as much damage.

"I didn't know you were a medical nin," Kankurou told her with a smirk. Akina smiled and started wrapping his arm in bandages.

"I don't want you using that arm for a couple of days," she told him, looking at him with a serious look on her expression. "Your arm isn't competely healed and so you need to not add anymore strain to it."

"Thanks." He looked over at his brother, who was just staring blankly up at the cave ceiling. "Can you take a better look at him now?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll take a better look at him. While I do that, I want you to get some rest. We can't stay here much longer." Kankurou nodded and laid back down on the floor.

"Make sure he doesn't fall asleep," Kankurou told her, his voice firm and serious. "We'll all be in serious danger if he does."

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"How are you feeling Gaara?" Akina asked, sitting down next to him.

"Weird," he grumbled, not taking his eyes off of the ceiling. "Dizzy... sick." Akina nodded, looking at him with concern.

"Can you sit up?" Gaara shook his head and looked over at Akina. "What if I help you?" She took Gaara by his upper arm and pulled him to a sitting position. She let him lean up against her, since he couldn't support himself without falling over.

"What... is...going on...with me?" he managed to ask. Akina frowned and sighed.

"I think that you have been drugged," she told him, "And by the looks of it, I'd say that they used a lot on you." Gaara slowly nodded. "The only thing we can really do is wait it out."

"Can't...sleep." Akina nodded.

"I know. Don't worry about it. I'll stay here and make sure nothing happens." Akina closed her eyes and smiled to herself. She giggled as a memory popped into her head. "This reminds me of when we were still small." Gaara looked at her with his unfocused eyes and listenened to her as she told him about it.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

_Yashamaru grabbed his bag and headed out the front door. He stopped when he saw the young girl standing on the porch._

_"Good morning Akina," he greeted with a smile. The small girl giggled._

_"Good morning!" she replied happily._

_"I bet you're here for Gaara." She nodded. "Well, I'm sorry to say that he can't play today. He's sick and has to stay in bed." The girl's eyes saddened at the mention of her best friend being ill._

_"Is he going to be okay?" she asked, worry in her voice._

_"I hope so. He has a fever, and it hasn't gone down much since the last time I took his temperature."_

_"Will you tell him that I stopped by and that I hope he gets better soon?" she asked. Yashamaru smiled._

_"I'll tell you what. How about you help me take care of him? If you ever want to become a medic, you have to be able to take care of a sick patient. Plus, I'm sure it would brighten Gaara's day."_

_"You mean I get to be his nurse?!" she asked, excited._

_"You can start as soon as I get back from the market. Why don't you just keep him company until then." Akina nodded and went inside the house. She lightly knocked on Gaara's door and went inside._

_"Gaara, I'm here to make you feel better!" she announced as she entered and closed the door behind her. A pair of sea green eyes peered out from beneath the covers of the bed before disappearing again._

_Akina hurried over to his bed and slowly pulled the covers up. She gasped when Gaara suddenly pulled them back down over his head. Akina frowned and folded her arms across her chest._

_"What are you doing?" Akina asked._

_"I'm...sick," came Gaara's muffled reply. Akina sighed and took a seat on the edge of Gaara's bed._

_"I know that already. Yashamaru is letting me help take care of you."_

_Gaara wriggled underneath the covers, making Akina fall to the floor with a yelp. Akina looked up to see Gaara peering out from beneath the covers, smiling at her._

_"You're a dork," she snickered. Gaara smirked before disappearing beneath his covers again. A few seconds later, he reappeared with his head on his pillow. His teddy bear was nestled in between his arms and he hugged it close to his body. Akina stood up and put a hand on Gaara's forehead._

_"You really do have a fever!" she exclaimed. Just as she was about to pull her hand away, Gaara grabbed her wrist so that she couldn't pull away. Akina gave him a weird look._

_"Feels cool," he told her, relief in his voice._

_"I can get you a cool rag if you want," she told him. Gaara nodded and let go of her wrist._

_Akina came back a few minutes later and laid the cold rag on his forehead._

_"That better?" she asked? Gaara smiled and nodded._

_"Thanks for coming to visit me." Akina grinned and patted the back of her friend's hand._

_"No problem Gaara."_

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

_**Well, another chapter has been put up. I also would like to mention that I made a slight change to the ending of the last chapter.**_

_**I would like to thank these people for reviewing yesterday:**_

_**p3h-t3h-cu73n355**_

_**nightreader**_

_**NeferNeferi **__(who voted last chapter! yay!!!)_

_**demona013 **__(who also voted last chapter! yay again!!!!)_

_**flower391169**_

_**What About Today**_

_**ChristinaAngel**_

_**dani**_

_**white moon dragon of light**_

_**Currently, we have 7 yays! I am definately going to go with the romance idea, but like a few of you suggested, i'm going to try and take it slow.**_

**_Please review and tell me what you thought about this chapter. thanks._**


	20. Rest

Later that day, the trio continued on their way. Before sundown, they made a stop at a small town. They rented rooms for them to stay in for the night so they could recuperate from the beating they had taken. Kankurou and Gaara were sharing a room while Akina had one of her own.

"I'm going to be leaving early tomorrow morning to send a report back to the village," Akina told Kankurou as she carefully laid Gaara down on his bed. "I'll come and check on you two when I get back. Hopefully the effects of the drugs will have worn off by then." Kankurou nodded.

"Don't you worry," he told her with a smirk. "The two of us will be fine." Akina smiled and nodded before leaving the room and heading into her own.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**THE NEXT MORNING: KANKUROU'S P.O.V**

When I woke up the next morning, the first thing that really went through my mind was to check on Gaara. I opened my eyes and let them adjust before I sat up. I stretched and looked over at my younger brother. He was lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling. I up and went over to him.

"How are you feeling Gaara?" I asked as I took a seat on the edge of his bed.

"My body….. won't move," he groaned, not taking his eyes from the ceiling. I could tell that he was a lot better than yesterday, but he was still suffering from the drugs.

"What's wrong Gaara? Is something bothering you?" Gaara closed his eyes and sighed.

"I was useless yesterday," he explained. His voice was hushed and it sounded as if he were ashamed of himself. I knew he was. Gaara was the kind who didn't like having to be dependant on someone else. Most of his life, the only one he could really depend on was himself, so it isn't very surprising that he feels that way.

"I was nothing but a burden. You guys should have just left me there." I frowned at this. It kind of made me angry to hear him say that.

"Shut up!" I snapped. This got Gaara's full attention. He looked up at me with his emotionless eyes. "Stop talking like that!"

"But….." I didn't let him finish.

"I could care less about any of that Gaara. You are my brother, and my comrade. It would take much more than that for me to leave you behind like that. Plus, I wasn't very useful either."

"Why not?" Gaara asked, raising a non-existent eyebrow. I smirked at him and held up my bandaged arm.

"I couldn't move my arm at all until we stopped at the cave and Akina healed it. You're not the only one who's disappointed. I'm older than you and I was pretty bad off myself." Gaara smirked and me.

"But Akina is a Chuunin," he explained.

I was completely shocked by that. I had no idea that Akina was already a Chuunin. No wonder she took control over the mission the way she did. I just assumed, since she was the same age as Gaara, that she was also a Genin. I also don't remember seeing her at the Chuunin exam last year.

"When did she graduate?" I asked.

"I read in one of the letters she sent me that she graduated at the age of 10." Gaara rolled his head to the side and grimaced in pain.

"Hey, are you alright?" I asked, worry in my voice. He slowly nodded.

"I'm just a little sore is all," he sighed. "It's nothing to get all worked up about."

"I would say not!" I turned around to see Akina standing there, smirking at us.

"When did you get back?" I asked, standing up. Akina walked forward and sat down on the spot I was just sitting in.

"Just a few minutes ago," she answered.

**END OF KANKUROU'S POV**

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Gaara looked up into Akina's emerald green eyes.

"Do you feel any better Gaara?" she asked, placing a gentle hand on Gaara's neck. Gaara ignored the pain that Akina was causing and nodded. She moved her hand to Gaara's chest. Gaara grimaced in pain and Akina quickly removed her hand. She made a few hand signs and gently placed her hand back on top of his chest. Her hand slowly began to glow green. Gaara could feel the pain become less and less, until there was barely any pain at all.

"Better?" she asked. Gaara nodded once again.

"Much," he answered.

"So what are the plans?" Kankurou asked. Akina turned to face him and sighed.

"We could leave now, but it wouldn't make much sense to do that with us in the condition we're in. Not only that, but I feel that we should we should have more back-up when escorting the prisoner back to Suna. If they attacked once, they're bound to attack us again once we actually have the prisoner in our grasp."

"Did you request for backup?" Akina nodded.

"I did. The message should reach the village by late tomorrow. They are going to send a reply to where we are supposed to pick the prisoner up at."

"So what do we do?"

"I personally think that we should stay here for another night and leave in the morning. This should give Gaara plenty of time to recover. We have some time left before we need to be there, and we're not that far from our target destination."

"I think that's the smartest way to go," Kankurou agreed. Akina smiled and looked down at Gaara, who was smirking at her.

"What?!" she asked, laughing.

"How come you don't act like this any other time?" he asked teasingly.

"This is my mission mode."

"Mission mode?" he asked, raising a non-existent eyebrow.

"The only time I really take anything seriously. Any other time, I'm usually goofing around and just having fun."

"You're weird." She grinned and chuckled.

"So are you. And Kankurou too."

"Hey, don't bring me into this!" Kankurou exclaimed, glaring at Akina.

"But you are! Honestly, how many people do you see wearing purple make-up, a cat-eared hoodie, and has the ability to control oversized dolls?" Kankurou glared daggers at her for a few moments before turning away, sulking to himself.


	21. Exhaustion

The next day, Gaara was able to move more easily, although he was still limited to what he could do.

"How much did they use on you?" Akina asked him jokingly as she helped him stand up. Gaara just rolled his eyes at her.

By the time they got to where the other village, there was a message from Suna already there.

"So what's going on?" Kankurou asked while Akina read through the message. A few minutes later, she rolled the scroll back up.

"Temari and another Chuunin were deployed last night," Akina explained. "We are to continue on and escort the prisoner. We'll meet up with the other 2 on the way back."

"We should probably get moving then," Kankurou sighed. Akina nodded and shoved the scroll in her knapsack.

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They completed the mission and returned to the village late the next afternoon. Akina was exhausted by the time they returned and was immediately called into the hospital. Apparently another team had experienced some difficulty returning from their mission and were in intensive care. One had even elapsed into a coma.

Gaara, Kankurou, and Temari had just finished being debriefed and were now walking home.

"Poor Akina," Temari sighed, shaking her head in disappointment. "I really think the council is working her too hard."

"What do you mean?" Kankurou asked, raising an eyebrow at his older sister. "She hasn't had near as many missions as we have. In fact, this was her first mission for Suna since she has been here." Temari looked at him as if he were hopeless.

"First of all, she doesn't have to take any missions from the Sand council. Her mission was to come and help out in the hospital. She works in the hospital most of the day, and sometimes even stays there late into the night."

"Is it that bad?"

"It is when you have to use up so much chakra. She's a medical ninja, remember?" Kankurou nodded.

"I guess I didn't really think about that." Temari sighed, and kept quiet. She knew it was pointless to try and get Kankurou to understand something if it took more than 5 minutes.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

It was 1 in the morning before Akina finally left the hospital. She was beyond exhausted and wasn't feeling very great. Still, she slowly walked down the streets of Suna, looking down at the ground as she walked.

"You look horrible." Akina looked up to see Gaara standing in front of her, frowning.

_"I didn't even sense him,"_ she thought to herself, _"And he was right in front of me." _Akina smiled slightly and nodded.

"Yeah, I kind of figured as much," she replied sleepily. Gaara looked at her with concern in his eyes.

"You shouldn't be walking alone while you're in that condition." He made it sound as if he really didn't care, but Akina knew he did. He wouldn't be bringing up anything like that if he didn't.

"I'll be fine," she insisted. She took a few steps forward before her legs gave out from beneath her. Gaara caught her and turned her over so he could see her face. She was out cold.

Gaara sighed to himself and scooped her up in his arms. He carried her, bridal style, back to his home. He didn't know where she was staying, and he couldn't just leave her there. Well, he could have, but he wouldn't do that to her. Not after everything she had done for him. Plus, even though he didn't like admitting it, he liked her. She was different and treated him like he was an actual person. She was kind to him, unlike the other villagers.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Gaara quietly entered his home, being careful not to wake his sleeping siblings. He took Akina into his room, leaving the door open just a crack. Not even bothering to turn on the light, he carried her over to his bed. He didn't need the light. He knew his way around his room like the back of his hand.

Gaara peeled back the covers to his bed and gently laid Akina down. He sat down on the edge of the bed and proceeded taking her sandals off, setting them next to the bed. Finally, he tucked her in beneath the covers.

"Is she alright?" Temari asked sleepily. Gaara looked over his shoulder and saw his sister standing in his doorway. Gaara nodded.

"Why are you up?" he asked softly.

"I'm getting a glass of water. Why isn't she sleeping in her apartment?" Gaara sighed.

"She passed out on her way home. I didn't know where she lived, so I brought her here." Temari nodded.

"I'm going back to bed," she yawned. "Goodnight." Gaara watched as she disappeared from his doorway. He quickly turned his attention to the stirring girl.

"Gaara?" she moaned softly. "Where am I?" Gaara smirked.

"You passed out," he told her softly. "I brought you to my home. Just go to sleep, okay." Akina nodded and closed her eyes.

"Thank you Gaara," she sighed as she fell asleep. Gaara sat there a few moments longer, until her breathing evened out. He then slowly got up and took a seat in a chair on the other side of the room. He sat there, watching over his sleeping friend until the sun began to rise and start the new day.


	22. Tears and Goodbyes

**THE NEXT MORNING**

Akina slowly opened her eyes, letting everything come into focus. She rolled her head to the side and saw Gaara sitting there, smirking at her.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked, smiling back at him and slowly sitting up.

"You talk in your sleep," he told her, the smirk still on his face. Akina's face turned a light shade of red.

"I do not!" she objected.

"Do too. I sat here the whole night. I'm pretty sure I know what I'm talking about."

"Then what did I say?" Gaara shrugged.

"I don't know. It was inaudible."

"_Sure_ it was," she said sarcastically.

"I'm pretty sure I heard Sasuke's name in there though." Akina frowned at him.

"If I were you, I would stop talking." Gaara raised an eyebrow at her.

"And what if I don't?" Akina thought for a moment, looking up at the ceiling as if expecting an idea to fall from the sky.

"I'm not sure at the moment, but I'll think of something." Gaara just shook his head and stood up.

"I'm going to get some breakfast," he told her. "You coming?" Akina smiled and nodded. She threw the covers off and hopped out of bed. She skipped in front of Gaara and turned to face him, flicking him in the forehead. Before Gaara could react, she was gone. He frowned and sighed.

_"She's rather childish," _he thought to himself, _"But it is actually kind of entertaining." _He smirked and went out into the dining room. Akina was already sitting down, pouring milk into a bowl of cereal. Gaara walked over and took a seat next to her. He took a bowl and poured some cereal into it. Akina smiled and handed him the milk. Gaara took it from her and poured some of the milk into it. He placed the milk in the center of the table and began eating.

"Did you sleep well," Temari asked Akina. Akina smiled and nodded.

"Yes, thank you. I was just exhausted last night. There were just so many things that were going on."

"Good thing Gaara was there?" Kankurou snickered. Gaara shot his older brother a glare, which quickly shut him up. Akina snickered and went back to eating her breakfast.

"Are you doing anything after breakfast Temari?" Akina asked. The sand kunoichi nodded.

"I have a mission," she sighed. "What about you? What are your plans for today?"

"I have to work all day at the hospital again," Akina groaned.

"Isn't that like your job though?" Kankurou asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but all I'm really going to be doing is updating old files." Akina stood up and took her empty bowl to the sink. "Well, I had better be going," she told the siblings as she walked past them. "I'll see you guys later, and be safe on your mission Temari." Temari smiled and gave a wave goodbye to the white haired girl.

"She's cute," Temari commented once Akina had left. Gaara just sighed, ignoring the conversation.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Gaara sat up on his roof, looking up at the stars. It was almost 9 and the street lights were beginning to light up. He hadn't really done anything that day. It seemed as if each day was getting more and more boring. It was getting to be unbearable. He hadn't really gotten to spend any time with Akina, unless they were on a mission. He hadn't even gotten very many missions to begin with. Except for the ambush that happened the other day during their mission, nothing had happened.

"Gaara, can I talk to you?" Gaara looked over his shoulder to see Akina. His eyes widened when he saw tears streaming down her face. He slowly stood up and walked over to her.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly, looking into her eyes. This was the first time he had seen her cry. He had seen many people cry before for many reasons. Each time, he could have cared less. Seeing tears coming from her eyes was different. He didn't really know why, but it actually made him feel sorry for her.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," she told him, her voice almost at a whisper.

"Why?" Gaara asked, a little surprised at how sudden this was. Akina looked down at the ground, letting the tears fall from her face.

"M-my….m-m-mother," she stammered, "w-was k-k-killed." Gaara's eyes softened, understanding why she was upset. In her letters, she had mentioned a few times about how her mother was her inspiration. It was Akina's mother who had taught her medical ninjutsu in the first place.

Gaara took her chin gently in his hand, lifting her head so that she was looking into his eyes. With his free hand, he wiped away her tears. He then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to. Akina buried her face in his clothes and cried. Gaara just stood there, trying to give her some form of comfort.

"I don't want to leave," she told him, her voice muffled.

"You should go," he told her, running his fingers through her hair. "She's your mother." Akina sighed and nodded.

"And it's not like I won't be coming back," she said, looking up at him with a small smile. Gaara nodded.

The two of them were interrupted when a medic showed up.

"What do you want?" Gaara growled, letting go of Akina. Akina looked at the medic with an annoyed look in her eyes.

"I'm s-sorry, b-b-but it a-an emergency," he stammered. "We n-need you b-b-back at the h-hospital right away."

"What is it this time?" Akina sighed.

"It's T-Temari-san." Akina's eyes widened, along with Gaara's. "She has been hit in one of her vital spots and we're losing her fast." Akina looked at Gaara, then back at the medic.

"Alright, let's hurry." She looked back at Gaara one last time before disappearing.

Gaara just stood there for a few moments, still in shock. He just never expected anything like this to happen.

_"This is going to be a really long night," _he told himself. He jumped down from the roof and headed inside to get Kankurou.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"What is it little bro?" Kankurou asked, looking up from the puppet he was fixing.

"We have a bit of a problem," Gaara said, his voice soft and emotionless.

"What kind of problem?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Gaara was hesitant at first, but got himself to come out with it.

"It's….. Temari." Kankuro's eyes widened and Gaara continued on. "She's in the hospital. I don't know much else, but it sounded pretty bad to me."

Kankurou just sat there, completely speechless. There wasn't much he could say. Gaara kind of felt the same way too. Neither of them would have ever expected something bad happening to Temari. She was strong and had a good head on her shoulders.

"We should probably go and wait at the hospital for an update," Gaara suggested quietly. Kankurou slowly nodded and stood up.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Kankurou and Gaara took a seat in the waiting room, both of them surrounded by eerie silence. They normally didn't talk much to each other, but the circumstances is what made the silence so uncomfortable.

"You don't know anything else?" Kankurou asked, looking at his little brother with worry-filled eyes. Gaara sighed and sadly shook his head.

The two of them waited for three hours. Kankurou was beginning to fall asleep when Akina came through the doors while drying her hands off with a paper towel. Kankurou quickly stood up, Gaara standing up as well.

"How is she?" he asked. Akina sighed, which gave Kankurou the wrong idea. Tears began to well up in his eyes.

"Kankurou, calm down," she told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "There's no need to cry right now." Kankurou blinked, his face turning a slight red out of embarrassment.

"Then what is her condition?" Gaara asked.

"Bad. But, I think she'll pull through in the end." The two boys sighed in relief. "We were finally able to stabilize her. We're giving her a blood transplant right now, and that should help a lot. She's going to need to stay in the hospital for a few more days as well."

"What happened to her?" Kankurou asked.

"Stab wound, and a very bad one at that. She took a direct hit and suffered from immediate damage." She paused for a moment. "You guys can come in for a minute to see her, but you can't stay long. She's in room 4." Kankurou nodded and thanked her, walking ahead of them.

"Thanks," Gaara mumbled. Akina smiled and nodded.

"You're leaving tomorrow, right?" Akina frowned again.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"When will you be back?" She shrugged.

"I'm not really sure. I'm going to have to come back sooner or later, since I'm still not done here. I shouldn't be gone that long though. As long as the Hokage doesn't need me for anything." Gaara nodded.

"I'm going to go see my sister," he mumbled, walking past her. He felt Akina grab him by the arm and pull him back towards her. She wrapped her arms around him, embracing him.

"Thank you for everything," she whispered in his ear. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before pulling away and vanishing in thin air.

Gaara stood there in shock for a few moments. He slowly brought a hand up and gently touched his cheek where Akina had kissed him.

_"What just happened?" _he asked himself.

* * *

**_It's a lot longer than most of the other ones, but I don't think it is as good as it could be. What do you guys think?_**

**_Alrighty then. Akina is gone, but don't worry, she wouldn't leave Gaara all by his lonesome. I'm going to need everyone's help for the next chapter though. I know there are several Gaara luvers out there and this is where I could really use you input. I can't really write the next chapter without your help, so please review and answer the following question. What would you guys get Gaara for his birthday?_**

**_I have a couple ideas, but they all suck! I thought it would be cool to see what everyone else thought. Please let me know! Have fun with it. I'm looking forward to hearing from you all! R&R! SQUEE!_**


	23. Surprise Party

**2 Months Later, Back in Konohagakure  
January 16****th**

"Come on Naruto!" Akina snapped, "Aren't you ready to go yet? We have three days to get to Suna, and I want to stop by at Tanzaku Market first!" Naruto stepped out of his apartment and locked the door behind him.

"Where's Lee?" he asked as he slid the key under the mat.

"He's already down at the gate, waiting for you to kick your lazy butt in gear!" She grabbed Naruto by the collar of his jacket and practically dragged him down out of the apartment complex. Once they were out on the streets, she let him go and started walking towards the village gates. Naruto followed close behind.

"I'm glad you and Lee agreed to accompany me to Suna," Akina told him with a grin. Naruto chuckled and nodded.

"And miss the chance to surprise Gaara? Never!" Akina laughed and ran the rest of the way to the gates. Naruto, followed closely behind her.

"Naruto! Akina! You finally made it!" Lee exclaimed. Akina grinned and nodded.

"Naruto Oh-so-Lazy doesn't understand the meaning of being on time." Naruto glared at Akina and stuck his tongue out at her. "Alright, so we're going to stop by Tanzuka Town on the way there."

"Why?" Naruto asked, putting his hands behind his head.

"Well, first off, you two need to get Gaara a present." Naruto and Lee looked at each other.

"All right!" Lee cheered, throwing a fist in the air. "I will find him the most youthful and amazing gift ever!" Akina and Naruto both looked at him as if he were insane.

"What about you Akina?" Naruto asked, pointing at her. "Don't you still have to get Gaara a present?" Akina smirked and shook her head.

"Not really. I made him something."

"Oh-oh-oh-oh! What did you make him?!"

"I'm not telling you!" Akina said, sticking her tongue out at him. "It's something special." Naruto rolled his eyes at her and started walking down the path.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Akina stood at the front of the shop, watching with amusement as the boys were trying to pick out a gift for Gaara.

"Do you think youthful Gaara would like this?" Lee asked, holding up a tie-dye shirt. Naruto's face went green as he shook his head.

"Gaara would probably kill you if you gave that to him." Lee thought for a moment and sighed.

"Yes, I guess you are right." Naruto looked over at Akina and frowned.

"Instead of standing over there laughing at us, maybe you could give us a hand!" Akina chuckled.

"What do you need help with?" she asked innocently.

"Why don't you just tell us what Gaara likes?" Lee suggested. Akina shrugged.

"I'm not really sure. I didn't really get to spend much time with him while I was there, and I'm sure that his opinions have changed since 6 years ago." Akina thought for a moment. "I can tell you what he doesn't like."

"That will work too," Lee told her, giving her thumbs up.

"Well, he doesn't like bright colors Lee. He mostly wears black and brown. He likes to read, I think. He likes sitting up at the roof at night and looking up at the stars. He can't sleep at night, so he's usually doing absolutely nothing for about 8 hours straight." Naruto and Lee thought for a few moments before nodding. "Now hurry up. Lee, I want you to go ahead so you can make sure Temari and Kankurou get in on this. When you get there, make sure that Gaara doesn't see you. I don't want to ruin this."

"You can count on me."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**January 18****th**

"You guys made perfect timing," Kankurou told them. The 3 leaf shinobi smiled.

"Kankurou's right," Temari agreed. "Gaara is out on a mission and won't be back until tomorrow evening."

"The only thing is we're not too sure about how Gaara is going to react to everything. He normally doesn't like being bothered on his birthday." Akina sighed.

"So should we just scratch the whole thing?" she asked. Temari smirked and shook her head.

"Not after you guys came all this way! If Gaara doesn't like it, then he's just going to have to deal with it." Akina smiled and nodded.

"So, what do we need to do to get this party going?" Kankurou asked, scratching the back of his head.

"Well, for starters, Temari and I will bake the cake."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Temari poisons everything she cooks." Temari glared at her brother, making him sink down in his seat.

"Don't worry, I'll be there with her to make sure everything turns out right. Anyways, I want you guys to put up decorations. I really don't care what, except no rainbows." Lee fell to his knees, tears pouring down his face.

"Why not!" he cried. Everyone looked at him, a little freaked out. "They are the sign of youthfulness!"

"Because Lee, this is Gaara we're talking about! Gaara doesn't like rainbows and unicorns, remember!" Lee sighed and wiped his tears away.

"Very well then. I will be okay." Akina rolled her eyes at him.

"Then let's get to it everyone!"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**January 19****th**

Kankurou led the blindfolded Gaara down the hallway.

"If this is a trick, you know you are going to be dead meat," Gaara threatened. Kankurou chuckled dryly.

"It's not a trick Gaara," he assured him, "It's a surprise." Gaara sighed in aggravation.

Once they were in the living room, Gaara felt Kankurou let go of his arm and he felt the blindfold coming undone. It slowly fell to the ground, leaving Gaara wide eyes at the sight before for him.

"Happy Birthday!" everyone shouted. Gaara stood there, in complete shock. Suddenly, he was tackled to the ground. He looked up to see Akina.

"W-w-what…."

"It's a birthday party," Akina told him, giggling, "For you!" Akina got off of him and helped him to his feet. Gaara looked over at the grinning Naruto and Lee.

"We surprised you didn't we?" Naruto laughed, patting Gaara on the back. "Now come and blow out your candles."

"C-Candles?" he stammered. Naruto gave him a strange look and slowly nodded. Akina grabbed him by the arm and pulled him over to the table with a cake on it.

"Light the candles Kankurou!" Kankurou rolled his eyes at her and took out a small case of matches. He struck the match and lit 14 candles. Gaara stood there, still in complete shock, as everyone sang the birthday song.

_"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Gaara, Happy birthday to you!"_ Everyone cheered, waiting for a clueless Gaara to blow the candles. Akina could tell that he had no idea what he was supposed to do. She leaned over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Close your eyes and make a wish," she instructed, "Then open your eyes again and blow all the candles out." Gaara looked at her the grinning girl and sighed. He closed his eyes, thinking of something to wish for, and blew out his candles. Everyone cheered again and clapped their hands.

After everyone had their cake it was present time. Everyone sat Gaara in the middle and gathered around. Lee gave Gaara his gift to open first. Gaara slowly opened the wrapping paper and was surprised to find a book. He wasn't surprised when he saw the word _youthfulness_ in the title.

The next gift was from Naruto. His gift was a soft, yet durable blanket.

"Akina said that you liked to watch the stars," Naruto explained, "So I got you a blanket you could sit on to make it a bit more comfortable." Gaara thanked him and Naruto smiled and nodded.

Temari gave him her lucky charm. It was a necklace that was shaped like the crescent moon. Kankurou gave him some money, along with another book and a small candy bar.

Last but not least was Akina's present. She grinned at him as he slowly unwrapped the square present. He then opened the box and looked inside. He looked back at Akina, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Take it out," she said, laughing. Gaara slowly took the item out of the box and looked at it with wide eyes. Everyone looked at Akina with curious expressions. It was a teddy bear, a little different from the one he had when he was a child. This bear was white and had black circles around its eyes and black blotches in other places as well. I basically resembled a panda. It also had the kanji sing "love" embroidered on its forehead and had a small gourd strapped to its back. Gaara looked up at her and smirked.

"Where'd you get this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I made it myself!" she chirped proudly. "I knew you had one when we were little, so I decided to make you a new one that resembles you. I already named it Panda-chan, but you can change it if you want." Gaara looked down at the bear and smiled to himself.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"That's not all," she told him. "I'll give you the rest of your present tonight." Gaara slowly nodded and set the bear in his lap.

**_To be continued..._**

* * *

**_I want to thank all who reviewed and gave me ideas. I tried to use just about all of them in some shape or form. _**

**_What About Today-_**_ I really liked the mat idea, but I couldn't really think of how they would transport that very easily. I did, however, agree that he should be comfortable, so I just got him a comfy blanket instead. _

**_Love-Hidden-Under-Blood –_**_ I just couldn't resist Akina giving him a teddy bear. Then I got the idea of making the bear resemble him. Then I got the idea of turning the bear from brown to panda-like, because Gaara kind of reminds me of a panda sometimes. It's not really Gaara-ish, but it just seemed so cute. I also went with the party idea, because I always thought Gaara deserved to have a party. _

**_Dragon of Twilight-_**_ I instead went with the charm idea, and instead of chakra being embedded into it, I just made it a lucky charm. Although, I don't know how lucky it would be if she ended up in the hospital prior to the party, although she did survive, so I guess it's lucky in some aspect. I totally agreed that Akina should make the present herself, which is why I had Akina make the bear by herself. :)_

_**bunbun-** i'm not too sure how much Gaara likes candy, but i made kankurou give him one. Kankurou is allowed to get beaten up if Gaara doesn't like it. :)_

_**sarahboden-** not very specific, but I think the teddy bear is definately special, and the blanket, since he is an insomniac and a stargazer._

**_Okay, Gaara got all his presents, well there's still one more left, but he got almost all of his presents. Now, what about Akina? I was thinking about having her receive a necklace, but I don't really no what kind or whatever. Any ideas? Help Gaara out? What color?shape? size? crystal or not crystal?_**


	24. Cuteness Followed by Sadness

Akina walked with Gaara up to the roof, looking up at the stars.

"I hope we didn't upset you with the party," Akina told him with a chuckle. Gaara shook his head.

"I was surprised," he told her solemnly, looking down at the ground with sadness in his eyes. "No one has ever done this for me. I have always seen this day as a mistake, since that is what most people saw me as." Akina frowned. She put a gentle hand a Gaara's shoulder, giving it a small squeeze.

"I don't think that," told him, her smile reappearing. "I don't think anybody at the party tonight thinks that either." Gaara looked up at her and nodded.

"You said you named my bear Panda-chan," he said, smirking. Akina grinned and chuckled.

"Yeah, I did. Do you like it?"

"You called me that when we were little."

"I thought you would remember," Akina said slyly, smirking.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

_**Flashback**_

_Akina opened her front door and grinned at her visitor._

_"Panda-chan!" she squealed, throwing her arms around Gaara's neck._

_"What?" Gaara asked, sounding confused. "Why did you call me that?" Akina let go and took a step back._

_"I don't know," she answered, shrugging. "I guess you just remind me of a panda."_

_"How do I remind you of a panda?" Gaara asked, folding his arms across his chest. Akina smirked._

_"Well, you have pale skin, black rings around your eyes, and you look so cute and cuddly!"_

_"I am not cute and cuddly," Gaara grumbled, putting on a pouty face. Akina giggled and wrapped her arms around his torso._

_"Maybe not to everyone else, but to me, you are like a big teddy bear." Gaara sighed._

_"Fine, but please don't call me that in public." Akina nodded in agreement and squeezed him even tighter. "Akina... too tight!" he gasped. Akina immediately released him and apologized. Gaara smirked evilly before pouncing on her._

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"So that was to help me remember?" Gaara asked, looking into Akina's playful eyes.

"Basically," she replied, "But it also seemed like an appropriate gift for you. You do like it, right?" Akina's eyes shimmered with hope. Gaara smirked at her and nodded.

"It was my favorite." Akina grinned.

"Close your eyes." Gaara gave her a questioning look. "Just close your eyes." Gaara sighed and slowly let his eyelids fall. Moment later, Akina gently pressed her lips against Gaara's before quickly pulling away. Gaara's eyes shot open and he stared at her in shock. Akina was blushing furiously, which made him start to blush as well.

"I'm sorry," she apologized in embarrassment. "I'm going too fast, aren't I?" Gaara slowly nodded and turned away from her. He felt awkward and just wanted to be alone for awhile. Akina sadly watched as he slowly disappeared.

* * *

**_I know. I'm so mean to just leave it hanging like that. Blame the school. It's exam week and I have to study for two exams for tomorrow. I'm not feeling too good about either of them, since i don't remember anything for either of them. I will try and update again tomorrow, since I get off of school early and I feel a lot better about Thursday's exams. Until then, I'm afraid your going to have to wait._**

**_Thank you all for the wonderful reveiws. You guys are so awesome! Wish me luck for tomorrow. I'm really gonna need it!_**


	25. Talk with Big Sis

_**Gaara's POV**_

I lay on my bed, trying to sort out my thoughts. I really have no idea what to do anymore, or what it is that I have been feeling lately. It has all been so frustrating.

It has been 3 days since the incident, and Akina and I haven't spoken to each other since then. I haven't even seen much of her since then either. The few times I did see her, we just continued on with our business. The silence is extremely uncomfortable, even for me.

I sigh to myself and roll over onto my side just as Temari knocks on my door and comes in.

"Can we talk?" she asked, shutting the door behind her. I nod and slowly sit up. Temari walks over and takes a seat next to me on my bed.

"What do you want to talk about?" I ask. I already had an idea of what she was going to say, but I asked anyway.

"What is going on between you and Akina?" she asked, looking at with me concern in her eyes. I sighed and shook my head.

"I'm not entirely sure," I told her. I wasn't completely lying. It was partially true.

"What do you mean you don't know? You two have been avoiding each other for the last couple of days. I am pretty sure you have some idea of what is going on?" I thought to my self for a moment, debating on whether I should tell her or not. She seemed to have noticed the debate going on inside my mind. "Gaara, you can tell me anything. I might even be able to help you, but you will never know unless you tell me what is going on." I sighed and nodded.

_**Temari's POV**_

Gaara sighed and nodded.

"Something happened the night after the party," he began to explain. There was sadness in his voice, along with a bit of confusion. He stopped and looked away from me, as if he were ashamed.

"What happened Gaara?" I asked. I put a gentle hand on his shoulder, hoping to give him some reassurance. Gaara bit his bottom lip and continued looking down at the floor.

"She…. kissed me," he answered, his voice so quiet that I almost didn't hear him. I smiled at him.

"What's so bad about that? Was it a kiss on the lips?" Gaara slowly nodded his head. "Did you not want her to kiss you or something?" Gaara shrugged.

"I wasn't expecting it. I….. I don't know." Gaara shook his head and heaved another sigh in frustration.

"So she kissed you and now you're holding a grudge about it?" Gaara looked up at me, his eyes in confusion.

"It's not that! It's…. this feeling I had afterwards!" I was extremely shocked at his outburst like that, and my facial expression probably showed it. But then, I slowly started realizing what was going on.

"Settle down Gaara," I told him, smiling. "Do you know what love is?" Gaara's eyes saddened.

"Yashamaru told me a long time ago," he murmured. I sighed and shook my head.

"I mean, do you know what love feels like?" Gaara slowly shook his head. I smirked at him and patted his shoulder. "Well, I'm thinking that is what you might have been feeling. What did it feel like?" Gaara shrugged again.

"I don't know," he sighed. "It was definitely something that I haven't felt before. I was confused, shocked, a whole mess of things."

"And how have you been feeling lately?"

"Different. Whenever I saw Akina, my heart started beating faster and I kind of started feeling sick to my stomach." I put an arm around him and chuckled.

"Little brother, I am almost positive that you're in love," I told him.

"So what do I do?" he asked, looking down at the ground solemnly. I shrugged.

"That's all up to you. If you want to have a relationship that is more than friends, then have one. If you don't, then don't. I do, however, think you need to make up with Akina. You really deserve to finally have a friend." Gaara nodded and smiled. It was barely there, but I could see that it was a smile.

"Thanks Temari." I smiled and gave him a quick hug.

* * *

**_So I don't think my AP Psych. exams went so well, but I'm happy to say that I feel really good about how I did on my English exam. _**

**_Anyway, thanks to all who reviewed on the last chapter. You guys are super flippin awesome!_**

**_I have been thinking about this, but can't really decide. Do you guys like it better in first person or in 3rd person? I'm not leaning in any particular direction. I just wanted to see what you guys thought. R&R_**


	26. Sick!

I looked down at the sheet of paper and back up at the apartment number. I sighed and knocked on the door, shoving the paper into my pant pocket. I stood there for a few minutes, but got no answer. I felt my heart sink. As soon as I turned to leave, the door slowly opened. I turned around, and saw Akina standing in the doorway.

I was surprised at how she looked. Her skin was paler than usual and was glistening from sweat. Her eyes were glossy looking and her hair was messy and tangled. A dark green blanket was draped over her shoulders, which she kept from falling with one of her hands. Her other hand was on the door frame to help give her support as she stood there shakily.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, sounding tired out and exhausted. "I thought you were mad at me?" I frowned, seeing how she got that idea.

"I wasn't mad at you," I told her. "I was just confused." Akina stared into my eyes for a few more moments before nodding.

"Is there anything you want?" she asked, coughing a little bit.

"I wanted to talk….." I stopped when I saw Akina start falling forward. I quickly caught her and scooped her up in my arms. "Are you okay?" I asked as I carried her into her apartment. She groaned and shook her head.

"I'm sick." I smirked at her.

"I can see that." She smiled weakly before coughing into her blanket. I gently laid her down on her bed and sat down on the edge. I gently placed the back of my hand on her forehead. She was burning up!

"Did you take your temperature up yet?" I asked. I was a little concerned about her condition. I haven't really seen her like this before. She looked horrible, and she didn't seem to be functioning so well. Akina slowly shook her head, and closed her eyes. "Where's your thermometer? You really need to take your temperature." Akina opened her eyes and pointed at a small cupboard.

"It should be in the first aid kit," she mumbled, closing her eyes again. I got up and opened the cupboard up. I took out a smallish white box with a red cross on it. I closed the door and went back over to Akina. I sat down on the bed, setting the kit down on the bed beside me, and opened it up. I rummaged through its contents until I found a thermometer, and then closed it back up.

"Keep this under your tongue," I told her, putting the thermometer into her mouth. I waited a few minutes before pulling it out and reading it. "101.5," I mumbled to myself. I looked back down at Akina, feeling a bit sorry for her. I didn't want to leave her here by herself. I knew nothing good would come of that. She also wasn't bad enough to take to the hospital, and even if she were, they wouldn't be able to do much for her. I sighed.

"Akina, I'm taking you back to my place." The white-haired girl opened her eyes slightly before closing them again and nodded. I picked her up again and carried her back to my house.

I laid her in my bed, tucking her in under the covers.

"If you need anything, just holler." She nodded lazily, not bothering to open her eyes.

"Thank you Gaara," she whispered. I smiled to myself and nodded.

"I owe you one anyway," I told her, remembering the condition I was in during our mission. I didn't tell her, but I was glad that she was back.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

**_Two Days Later_**

Gaara handed Akina a glass of water and sat down next to her on the bed. Akina smiled and thanked him.

"You got better a lot faster than I expected," Gaara told her with a smirk. Akina grinned.

"I have always been that ways," she replied, "And I have you to thank as well." Gaara shrugged.

"You're just lucky I have nothing better to do with my nights." Akina smirked and took a few sips of the water before handing it back to Gaara. "You should stay in bed for today, since you only just got better. I have to go on another mission, and won't be back until tomorrow." Akina smiled.

"I'll miss you." Gaara smirked and got up. He walked over to his dresser and opened up a drawer. He took something out and threw it at Akina. Akina picked it up and looked at it, grinning when she saw what it was.

"Panda-chan will keep you company until I get back," he said, still smirking at her. Akina giggled and squeezed the bear close to her chest.

"Be safe," she told him as he walked out of the room.

"I will," Gaara said to himself.

* * *

**_I am putting this up early, for several reasons. 1.) I was just so happy about the reviews I got, I felt like I owed it to you guys to put up another one. 2.) The last chapter was kind of short, and I was feeling nice today. 3.) I have one more chapter typed up already. I'm just being mean by making you all wait. :) That and, I want to kind of extend it. If I give it all away at once, then there would be nothing to look forward to for the next day. I really like the next chapter too, so it's definately something to look forward to. I will post the next chapter tomorrow morning before school,_**

**_Yay! Gaara is happy again! But poor Akina, being so sick and all. I was feeling really down and out of it the other day, which kind of inspired me to write that in. I had a super nasty cold and had to miss and orchestra concert. that sucks because now i have to play the songs all by my lonesome into a tape recorder. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thanks people who reveiwed. You made my day after coming home from stupid exams well worth it. _**


	27. Kindnapping

"Where are you going Gaara?" Temari asked, washing the dishes.

"I'm going to bug Akina at the hospital," Gaara told her with a smirk. Temari smiled and nodded.

"Stay out of trouble." Gaara rolled his eyes at her left out the front door.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Akina walked out into the waiting room, and stopped in surprise.

"Gaara, what are you doing here?" she asked, "Who's in the hospital now?" Gaara smirked and shook his head.

"No one is here," he told her, standing up and walking over to her

"Then why are you here?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Kidnapping you," he told her, smirking evilly. Akina looked at him in confusion.

"But I have to work. I'm not off until midnight." Gaara shook his head, taking her by the wrist.

"I talked to them already and told them I was going steal you from work early." Akina giggled as Gaara tugged her down the hallway.

"I have to go to my locker first," she protested playfully, yanking her hand away from him. "I'll be right back." Gaara leaned against the wall, his arms folded across his chest as he waited for Akina to return. When she came back, she was grinning and holding something black, white, and red.

"Guess who I find in my locker this morning?" she giggled, holding the object up. Gaara smirked at her playfully. It was Panda-chan! Panda-chan's gourd held a small bouquet of red roses. "How'd you get Panda-chan in there Panda-san?"

"Panda-san?" he asked, raising a non-existent eyebrow.

"Yes, Panda-san. You can't be Panda-chan any more for 2 reasons. 1, you're older now, and 2, that is the bear's name." Gaara nodded. "Now, start explaining!"

"I don't have to tell you anything," he teased. "Remember, I kidnapped you." Akina smirked.

"Ha! You wish!" Gaara just rolled his eyes at her and started walking down the hall. Akina scurried to his side and walked with him. "So why did you come to kidnap me?" she asked, looking at him with curiosity.

"I wanted to take you to one of my favorite places," he told her.

"Why?" Gaara chuckled at her and shook his head.

"It's your birthday." Akina's eyes widened.

"Oh my gosh! I totally forgot! How on earth did you remember?!" Gaara shrugged.

"I really have no idea."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Akina sat on the edge of a cliff, watching as the sun set in the horizon. She smiled as the breeze blew through her hair. Gaara sat beside her, his face emotionless.

"I can see why this is one of your favorite places," Akina said softly. Gaara didn't say anything. He just continued to look out into the horizon, looking as if he were deep in thought.

As the skies began to darken, Gaara stood up, pulling Akina up along with him.

"I guess we should be heading back," Akina sighed. Gaara nodded.

"I want to give you something first." Akina looked up at him with curiosity. Gaara smirked at how much emotion she was able to show. "Close your eyes first, and don't open them until I say you can." Akina smiled and closed her eyes, covering them with her hands. Gaara reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a necklace. It was a clear crystal, small and round. In the center, there was sand in it. The sand formed the simple shape of a flower. The crystal was attached to a golden chain.

"You can open your eyes now," he told her softly. Akina slowly uncovered her face. She opened her eyes to see the necklace dangling in front of her face. Akina gasped, her eyes beginning to fill with tears.

"Gaara!" she gasped, hands to her mouth. "Y-you didn't!" Gaara smirked at her and nodded.

"Happy birthday," he said softly. He walked around to her back. Akina smiled and held her hair out of the way. Gaara reached around her and hooked the necklace into place. Akina fingered it gently for a few moments before turning around and hugging Gaara tightly.

"Thank you so much Gaara?" she said before letting him go. Gaara looked down at her and nodded.

"I hate to bring this up," Gaara started. Akina looked up at him with shimmering eyes. "But…. Do you remember…… what you did the night…… on my birthday?" Akina frowned and looked down at the ground in shame.

"I'm really sorry about that," she mumbled. "I don't know what came over me." Gaara took her chin and gently raised it so that she was looking at him. Akina was about to say something else, but Gaara didn't give her a chance to even start. He gently pressed his lips against hers, making her blush slightly. She was surprised at first, but quickly realized what was happening and kissed him back. Gaara slowly pulled away from her, smirking. Akina was still blushing, which amused Gaara.

"Aren't you glad that I kidnapped you?" he teased. Laughing nervously she nodded. She didn't know why she felt so nervous. She didn't even think it was nervousness that she was feeling. It was more like excitement.

"I think my legs are about to give out," she told him, just as her knees began to buckle and give out beneath her. Gaara scooped her up into his arms.

"Have you ever noticed that I'm always carrying you somewhere?" he asked her, looking at her playfully.

"You used to do that a lot when we were kids too," Akina giggled, wrapping an arm around Gaara's neck. "And you're taller now too."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

_Gaara carried a crying Akina down the hallway by piggyback._

_"We're almost there Akina," Gaara told her. "Yashamaru will know what to do." Akina whimpered, holding onto Gaara tightly. "Yashamaru!" Gaara called. Yashamaru rushed into the hallway, looking at Gaara and Akina in shock._

_"Did you carry her all by yourself?" Yashamaru asked. Gaara nodded, breathing hard._

_"She's heavy. Can you take her please?" Yashamaru nodded and took the girl from him. "Careful about her ankle!" Gaara warned, "I think she sprained it or something." Yashamaru smiled and nodded once more._

_"Why don't you go get some ice?" he suggested. Gaara nodded happily and ran off to the kitchen._

_"Does it still hurt?" Gaara asked a couple of hours later. Akina shook her head._

_"Not really," she said softly. "Thanks for helping me." Gaara smiled and nodded his head._

_"I just wish that I were a bit taller than you." Akina giggled and nodded._

_"I guess that would help!"_

* * *

**_I know. Gaara was a bit OOC, but I thought it was cute anyway. I kind of brought back what I thought Gaara would act like as a child. I figured, since i am almost at 30 chapters, I should start making gaara return the feelings. Do you guys think I am moving to fast. Just let me know. R&R! Thanks everybody!_**

**_I want to thank Dragon of Twilight for the necklace idea. I fell in love with it immediately. My original idea was to take one of those small bottles, fill it with sand, put a cork in it and tie string around it. I like Twilight's idea much better, on account of I really wanted sand to be in it, but I wanted it to be pretty at the same time._**

**_Love-Hidden-Under-Blood suggested that the necklace should be red. Well, I like the color red, so I decided to give her red roses, because I like roses too, and I couldn't think of any other flowers that are red. I probably could of if I tried harder, but I am a slacker when it comes to things like that. It's really quite pitiful._**

**_I thank you all for all the wonderful reviews I have gotten so far. You guys ROCK!_**


	28. Finale

_**I am sorry about not giving you all a more advanced notice, but this will be the last chapter. Don't worry, I am not done with Akina and Gaara. I will be coming out with a sequel.**_

_**The sequel will be after a time skip, after Gaara becomes Kazekage. Anyway, this chapter is just a bunch of little moments that occurred before the time skip, since I couldn't really think of anything long enough to make a chapter. Anyways, I hope you enjoy, and I hope you all read the sequel.**_

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

After Akina's birthday, Gaara and Akina kind of acted as though nothing happened. No one would have guessed that the two of them had kissed. Everyone just guessed that they were very good friends, which is what they basically were and how they basically acted. They didn't kiss, except for the occasional peck on the forehead when no one was around. Whenever Gaara and Akina were found together though, they were always found doing awkward things.

"Want one?" Akina asked, holding out a chocolate covered pocky stick. The two of them were sitting on the floor in Gaara's room, sitting up against his bed.

"What is it?" Gaara asked, raising an imaginary eyebrow. Akina looked at him as if he were crazy.

"You never had pocky before?" she asked in disbelief. Gaara slowly shook his head. Akina grinned and held the pocky stick in front of his face. "Eat it!" she ordered. Gaara smirked at her and took it from her hand. He slowly nibbled it, Akina staring at him with a smirk on her face. "Well?" Gaara shrugged.

"It's okay," he sighed. Akina just blinked at him, and shook her head in disappointment.

"Gaara, you are very depressing." Gaara smirked.

"I've heard that before," he said, reaching over and taking the pocky box from her. Akina gasped and frowned at him.

"You better give that back if you know what's good for you," she threatened. Gaara smirked playfully, taking another treat from the box and putting it in his mouth.

"What are you going to do about it?" he jeered. Seconds later, Akina was wrestling him for the box.

This went on for a while until Kankurou came in, looking at them in complete confusion.

"What are you two doing?" he asked, sounding a bit freaked out. Akina and Gaara stopped their bickering, looking up at the puppet master. Akina was on top of Gaara, pinning his hand to the ground. Akina quickly got off of him and helped Gaara to a sitting position. She was blushing furiously, and even Gaara was a slight shade of red. Gaara quickly handed back her pocky box and apologized.

"Are you going to answer me?" Kankurou asked, "Or is this something that I don't want to know about."

"Gaara stole my pocky and wouldn't give it back to me," Akina explained. Gaara smirked.

"She is apparently very protective over her pocky," Gaara pointed out. Kankurou just looked at them, blinking a couple of times.

"Okay…… It's something I don't want to know about." Kankurou slowly turned and left.

As soon as he was gone, Akina started bursting out laughing. Gaara just smirked, enjoying the moment of humor.

"We totally have him freaked out!" Akina laughed. Gaara nodded in agreement.

"You do know that he is going to be keeping an eye on us now, right?" Akina shrugged.

"I highly doubt it. Didn't you see the look on his face? I think he's wishing that he doesn't even know us at the moment." Gaara nodded and chuckled slightly. Akina stared at him for a moment. "Did Sabaku no Gaara just chuckle?" she asked, smirking evilly at him. Gaara frowned at her, glaring at her.

"Not… another…. word," he said, making each word come out in a dangerous way. Akina was still smirking at her, but nodded in agreement.

"You win this time, but only because I feel nice today."

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO**

"Gaara can I….." Temari stopped what she was saying when she saw Gaara and Akina sitting his room on the floor. "What are you guys doing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Akina looked up at her and grinned.

"We're coloring!" she chirped, holding up the piece of paper. She looked at Gaara, surprised that he was actually sitting down and coloring.

"And why are you guys doing that?" she asked, still confused.

"We were bored," Gaara grumbled. Temari blinked, still not understanding.

"Okay….. Forget I was even here." With that, the blonde left.

"Do you like it?" Akina asked, holding up her picture for Gaara to see.

"What is it supposed to be?" Gaara asked, cocking his head to one side. Akina narrowed her eyes at him.

"It's a dog," she told him, her voice stern. Gaara raised an invisible eyebrow, smirking playfully.

"That's supposed to be a dog?" Akina frowned at him. She crumbled the drawing up and threw it at his head. Gaara just let it hit him, which made Akina giggle.

"You're lazy today, aren't you?" Gaara slowly nodded. "Well, I'll leave you to rest then. I have to go to the hospital anyways." Gaara nodded and watched as she left.

**XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX**

Gaara and Akina were on her bed. They were dangling upside down over the edge of her bed.

"Why are we doing this again?" Gaara asked, looking over at Akina. Her hair laid in a pile on the floor.

"So we can think of something to do," she started to explain. "When you're upside down, more blood flows to your head, which enables you to think better." Gaara blinked at her.

"I have an idea," he mumbled. Akina looked at him and smiled.

"What?"

"Let's stop doing this. It's stupid." Akina stuck her tongue out at him before pulling herself up.

"You're so lame," she sighed, pulling Gaara up as well.

"I'm the one who's lame?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Akina smirked and playfully punched him in the arm.

"Shut up," she giggled.

* * *

**_Okay then. I know it was kind of lame, but I couldn't really think of anything else. It seemed that the more I thought, the harder it was to come up with something, so I just went with what I had and made it work. In case you didn't read the above notice, this is the last chapter. Don't cry, for I have great news. I will be continuing the story in a sequel. I hate coming up with titles. I have never been good at them. The title will probably end up changing, but for now it will be called "Best Friends, or More?" Something to that extent anyway. I hope you all decide to read the sequel. In fact, I will give you a little taste of it._**

_Gaara is now 15 years old and is the Kazekage. Akina is 15 and has been going back and forth between Konoha and Suna. She spends a lot of her time in Suna, doing missions for the new Kazekage, Gaara. Since Konoha now has Sakura and Ino as medical ninja, she was able to spend more time at Suna._

_Gaara has just been saved after the Shukaku had been removed from him. He is now returning to Suna, where is village, and Akina, have been anxiously awaiting his return._

_Akina waited anxiously, as Naruto and Kankurou helped Gaara into the hospital. Their eyes instantly met. Kankurou and Naruto stopped and Gaara pulled away from them, slowly making his way toward her. Akina made her way towards him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Gaara sighed in relief, wrapping his arms around her neck letting her support his weight._

_"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice at a whisper. Gaara slowly nodded. He looked down at her, looking into her eyes. They were brimming with tears._

_"I'm fine," he replied weakly. "No one can keep me down that easily." Akina smiled and nodded, giggling a little bit. Akina put his arm over her shoulders and walked him back over to Naruto and Kankurou. Akina looked up at Naruto and smiled at him._

_"Thank you," she whispered. Naruto smiled and nodded._

**_I sure hope you all read the sequel when it comes out. It might be a little whil though. I need to take a small break from this for awhile. Plus, I have already thought of another thing to write about, so I'm going to go with that first. Maybe some ideas will come to me while I'm writing that._**

**_ Thank you all who have stayed with me thus far. I'd love suggestions for the sequel, especially since I have been having some trouble with coming up with new ideas. I have a few to get the sequel started, but I need some ideas as to where it should go. The one thing I do know is that there will be more romance in this one, since they have been keeping it as "best friends with benefits". It will be slightly more than that._**

**_Please R&R and let me know about what you want to see happen in the sequel that you didn't see and want to see._**

**_HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!_**


	29. Attention!

_**Great News!!! The sequel to Letters from a Forgotten Friend is up!!!! The squel is called Letting the Light In. I hope you all check it out and review. It would make me really happy. Luv you all!!!**_


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